Daniel X: Armageddon
by Sakura Martinez
Summary: After defeating Undinogh and having acquired The Gift from Khadagh, Daniel sets his eyes on the last and most powerful alien outlaw left in The List: his nemesis, The Prayer. Lives will be lost. Friendships will be tested. Full Summary inside. DanielXDana. Daniel's POV.
1. Prologue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

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**Author's Notes:**

I didn't have any plans of uploading this chapter yet but since I've already finished a lot of chapters for this new fanfic, I decided to just go ahead and upload it. This would be, as you all know, my 3rd fan fiction for the Daniel X book series and I decided to use the same title which the next book will have (Armageddon).

Anyways, the cover is something I made for this fanfic and the story follows where the Out of Time left off. Having said that, I hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to review after you read this! (:

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang_ must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Prologue**

* * *

It could have been the perfect Sunday morning, by Earth standards. The weather was neither humid and hot nor freezing cold. The sky was as blue as the sky could possibly be. There was a sort of freshness in the air that I didn't think was possible to be found or felt on Terra Firma. It was the sort of day you wake up to and think: _Hey, maybe we should go out on a picnic!_

And that was what came to my mind when I woke up.

You might be thinking: 'What are you doing, Daniel? Why are you thinking about going on a picnic when the world, as we know it, is in danger?'. All I can tell you is, "chill". You guys don't need to tell me about the dangers your world and the whole galaxy is facing. True, I am an Alien Hunter, but me and my _drang_ deserve some R&R once in a while (and we mostly get those "in a while"). Besides, it was a perfect day. The sort where you feel all optimistic and doubt that anything could go wrong in the world.

Of course, I should have thought that such a peaceful and wonderfully perfect day couldn't last. I should have known, base from experience, that something was bound to come up to ruin _everything_. I should have guessed that a perfect day, during a time when turbulence was abundant—not only on Earth, but the rest of the universe—is just _too_ good to be true.

But, the events that happened that day was something I didn't—_couldn't_—foresee.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me just give you a quick rundown on the events of that fateful Sunday...

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Willy said, his brows were furrowed and he had the look that said legions about what he thought of me at that moment.

"What?" I asked, confused as to why he was giving me _that_ look. "It's not a bad idea!"

"With what's been going on? I'd say it is." Joe shook his head.

"I don't know," Emma decided to voice her opinion carefully, as if she was threading in thin ice with the topic. "It _sounds_ like a good idea."

Willy gave a '_tcht_' sound at his sister's view on the matter. Joe, on the other hand, merely shook his head in displeasure. Ever since we got back from the Undinogh mission and ever since I woke up, I couldn't help but notice how Joe seemed a bit...tamed...around Emma, as if he was worried that he might anger her or something. I also couldn't help but notice how, despite still having disagreements, Willy and Joe weren't bickering all that much any more...well, they weren't using their fists and their weapons when they are fighting—which, in my opinion, was a big improvement.

"I agree with Daniel, too." Dana said.

At which Willy snorted, "Of course you'd agree with him, Dana, he's your boyfriend."

Even though Dana and I had been together for a long while now, and even though we weren't exactly _hiding _our relationship or the way we feel about each other, I still had a hard time keeping my face from turning red whenever our connection was mentioned. That gives Willy and Joe enough ammunition to make fun of me. Seeing Dana turning red as well told me that she, too, felt the same way. Which only made them make fun of us even more. I swear, I'm going to pay them back from the number of times they made me blush.

"A-Anyway," Dana stuttered before clearing her throat and giving a warning look at Joe, who was snickering (Joe quit laughing when he saw her with that look), "We've been working hard the past few months, it would do us good to get some rest and recharge. It's not like everything will turn to hell in a day."

"Besides, this day is just too good to pass up!" Emma and Dana were both ganging up on Joe and Willy that it made me smile. They should know, as I do, how scary the girls can be when they don't get what they wanted.

Willy and Joe both looked at each other before they looked at me. I grinned at them. I expected as much, after all. I knew Emma and Dana would take my side when I told them that we should go out on a picnic together—all of us.

We're not being irresponsible, though. All those strange things happening on Earth? Those are either the workings of The Prayer or a consequence of whatever action we had to do in order to stop The Prayer's plans. Ever since getting back on my feet after the whole Undinogh episode, all of us had been doing all we could to weaken The Prayer and his forces. Though he had yet to send me an "official" challenge, I think we both knew that the game was on. Several times, during one of our missions—and sometimes even during our sweeps—he had sent aliens to ambush us. Most of the time we came out from those ambushes unscathed, there are times, however, when we did come out on the bruising end.

With each battle, however, I could tell that the forces The Prayer was sending were getting stronger. They were learning from our past battles and their mistakes. Though I could say the same about us. Still, five teenage Alien Hunters don't really compare against a huge army like The Prayer's. Sure, we do have Willy and Emma's parents with us still, but they usually are out on an errand—trying to gather as much forces as they could, that we do end up being the only once actually making a stand against our enemies. There are occasional skirmishes outside, in space, but those battles are stuff that we were told not to mind.

"Focus on Terra Firma," Uncle Windsor had told me before they left on their own mission. "The Prayer seems to be hell bent on getting this planet that all the others."

I agreed, because even I can see that. I have seen that ever since I started on my path of vengeance. Ever since I swore to avenge the death of my parents.

"Well..." Joe looked at Willy, scratched his cheek and then smiled sheepishly, "I don't think we have much of a choice. Do we?"

Willy sighed, before he gave in and we all began to get ready.

Willy went to get the car ready. Joe volunteered to pick the stuff we might need. And, although both Emma and Dana both volunteered to cook our food, I stopped them. Don't get me wrong, they _can_ cook...it's just that, sometimes, they tend to, um, overdo it...to the point that you can have a guessing game in regards to trying to figure out what you are eating. Of course, I didn't tell them that I didn't want to eat another version of "Mystery Food". They would kill me. So, I just told them that it would be easier if I just "clapped" our food into existence.

Though they grumbled and questioned me as to why I would do that with our food and not everything else, they did let it go once I asked them where they wanted to go. After all, our trip wasn't something we planned. The girls immediately began a long argument as to where the best place to go was. Their choices were ridiculous, to say the least...even going so far as traveling to the Bahamas. Though, eventually, they did agree to just take a mountain hike to that clearing that we accidentally stumbled upon during one of our sweeps.

After everything was ready, we all boarded the pick-up truck. The very old, stinky, and beat-up pick-up truck.

Again, I could have made something better and cooler but, once again, I had to keep myself from using my powers. We wanted to blend in, after all, and not stand out like a sore thumb and, five kids with a Ferrari was not the way to go. And so we stuck with using the piece of junk (don't tell Willy that it is a 'piece of junk' though, he's the only one who thinks otherwise).

Anyways, we made our way to the mountainside, being as inconspicuous as five teenage Alparians could be. It wasn't a long trip, to be honest, and it didn't take as a long time to get there even though there were a couple of places where we experienced heavy traffic. I guess people had the same idea as we did about going out and having a picnic.

The actual trek to get to our hidden spot, however, took us a while—not because we were out of shape, but because Emma and Dana wanted to take pictures. Lots of them. Lots and lots of freaking pictures. When we tried to get them to stop, they argued with us that since we were already there, we might as well.

"Plus, it'll be good to have a memento of some kind," Emma had said. "Who knows when we'll be back here again."

Though we wanted to argue further, we really couldn't. She was right. Our future was too unpredictable.

As soon as we got to our clearing, we didn't waste time in setting the place up. Though we already had everything you could possibly need on a picnic, I couldn't keep myself from using my powers to give us more comfort. Of course, I only did so after I made sure that we wouldn't be compromised. No one tried to stop me, though...though people might actually wonder why we had a reclining sofa with us and how we managed to bring it all the way to that clearing—if they anyone did manage to stumble to it.

We didn't do anything there or talked about anything that was important. We just enjoyed the time we all spent with each other, exchanging crazy stories, making jokes, and basically just having a great time. We didn't stay there until nightfall, though. Even with the inhumane strength and powers we possessed, all of us knew that it was stupid and dangerous to stay at the mountains when darkness falls.

As we made our way back down to civilization, I was surprised when Willy suddenly said, "Let's do this again. As soon as we are finished dealing with The Prayer."

Everyone agreed, of course. But, there was that underlying note, and that prayer that we all be able to do so.

* * *

The car ride back to the house was a long one. Longer than how it took to get to the mountain. The traffic was twice as heavy, barely moving, which was strange, as having such a traffic jam just wasn't possible at that part of the state. That should have given me a warning signal, a sign that something was wrong. But, it didn't. I don't really remember if it was because it was—or had been—such a perfect day, or if I just didn't want to think that anything bad could happen or the traffic jam could mean anything other than something trivial.

As our truck inched forward, Willy saw a cop redirecting the route. That should have been the second warning that something was up.

"Do you think there was an accident?" Dana asked as Willy followed the detour sign, worried and maybe feeling sorry even before knowing what it was all about as we saw police lines, ambulances and a dozen of police cars all blocking the highway. Though their sirens were turned off, the blue and red lights glowed, interchanging as we passed.

I craned my neck as far as I could, trying to see what was up. I was curious as the rest of them, but I couldn't see anything past the cars and the people that were crowding around.

"I don't know," I answered.

"I hope nobody was hurt," Emma said, before she whispered an Alparian prayer asking for safety for the people involved. Don't ask me when she became religious, I won't be able to answer you.

We all grew silent for a while, as we followed the detour. The only sound we could hear were the engines of the cars, the sound of the tires hitting the rough road, and the sound of the wild—which was less noisy. Another thing that I should have picked up, should have warned me of what was to come.

And then, the sound of the forest—for that was where the detour ultimately took us—died down. There was just silence. Even the vehicles that were ahead of us and those that were behind us became inaudible.

"Is it me or do you guys feel something's...off?" Willy asked.

I shrugged before we all turned to Emma. She would know, after all, if something was wrong with the forest. She was in-tuned with all things...environmental and nature-y. Such was her powers. That and being able to control electricity and metal. Though, if you think about it, that would make sense in a weird Chinese element-thing (fire, earth, water, wind, and metal).

"I don't sense anything particularly wrong, but—" Emma began, her face scrunching up in confusion. "there is that underlying danger that the forest animals seem to feel."

"Underlying danger?" Joe asked just as Dana did.

"What kind of danger?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe some natural disaster." Emma shrugged. I remember animals having a sort of sixth sense when it comes to natural disasters and wondered if that was the case, if that was what Emma was basing the silence and the fear that the woodland creatures were feeling.

I don't exactly know what happened next. It all happened so fast. One moment we were just wondering what was up, and then we found our truck suddenly flipped upside-down, and then crashing to the trees, breaking the trunks and making everyone in the car scream, panicked.

Don't ask me how many times the truck cartwheeled. I won't be able to give you an answer to that either. All I can say is that, when it did stop doing its acrobatics, we had found ourselves outside of the truck, scattered and bruised. The truck's gas was leaking, a small fire had started as well—if the smoke coming out of it was any indication. It had as much dents and scratches as you could possibly count and the windows were all broken, all that was left of the windshield were crystalized bits and pieces of glass.

The path that the truck took while it was hurtling, created a makeshift path of destruction among the trees with only a handful of them remaining in-tact.

I quickly got to my feet and made my way to Dana, not only because she was...well, my girlfriend, but because she was closest. I wobbled as I walked, slightly dizzy. I quickly inspected her, to see if she had any life-threatening injuries. Fortunately, she was alright, save from a few scratches on her arms and her face.

"Dana," I shook her awake.

She groaned before she slowly opened her eyes. Realization dawned at her quickly as she remembered what happened and she was quick to her feet. Dana didn't ask any question, and I was thankful. I didn't have any answers but I knew that we had to get everyone back to their feet and ready to fight. Because that was what my instincts were telling me—that a fight was about to occur.

As soon as everyone was up, we readied ourselves from battle, noticing how quiet the whole world had gotten, not to mention how dark. There were no incoming cars, no vans, no people—apart from us and the dead or injured laying haphazardly around us. The only sound we could hear was the wind that was picking up, the sound of the cars burning, and the moaning, crying, and pleading sounds coming from the injured humans.

"What's the plan, Chief?" Joe asked me, the Symbiote on his arm ready for combat.

I gritted my teeth. I hated being called that and I had told him (and everyone who does) to quit with the whole "Chief"-thing but he (and they) wouldn't listen. But I shook the annoyance away. There was going to be a time, after this particular battle, that I would be able to berate him for calling me that again.

"The usual," I said. It wasn't the first time that this happened to us, but it was the first time that we were thrown out of the car without so much as a warning. "You and Emma tend to the wounded."

Emma and Joe nodded before they set to work. As I surveyed our surroundings further, I frowned. I couldn't recall our truck being hit by any weapon, or being rammed by a force strong enough to cause it to fly like it did, but it did.

Dana looked at me and she must have noticed the look on my face, because she asked, "What are you thinking about?" in a hushed manner.

"The truck," I replied, and she made a face as if to ask me 'Seriously?'. I shook my head, then continued on to explain, "I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, didn't feel any attacks coming. We should have seen anything if we were attacked. Besides, don't you find it strange that no one's passing through here now?"

Dana thought for a moment and scanned our surroundings, much as I had before I voiced out my concern to her. She noted the same things that I did and I could see questions forming inside her mind. The sense of...wrongness...permeated the air. It was all I could think about—that something was wrong—as I scanned once more. My powers hummed, ready to be used when the situation calls for it.

I didn't know why it took me so long to see what was wrong in picture—apart from the obvious disarray of things. I wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the strange sound the wind was making as it ruffled the leaves on the trees that still stood.

The trees, they were bent. As if they tried to get away from a force of an impact. They didn't sway much, though their leaves danced as a powerful gust of wind was expelled from somewhere further in the cluster of trees. The wind brought other things to my notice, too. A smell, the rancid smell of something burning. I would have thought that it came from the vehicles that were being engulfed by flames around us, had it not been for the fact that it was the wind that brought it to my attention—the wind that came from the direction of where the trees were leaning away from.

My mind felt blank as I tried to come up with some answers to the questions that could have easily been answered by investigating the area further, but with how many were injured and how these lives were now in our care—at least, until the human authorities arrived—that was out of the question.

"Daniel," Willy came up at me, a frown on his face. "You don't think—"

Before he could finish his question, a flare suddenly shot up towards the sky. The trailing light surprised us, not because we didn't think anyone would be sending any kind of distress signals but because this particular distress signal—this particular flare—was a brand that only we would know about. More specifically, what Willy and Emma would have no problems identifying.

It was a flare that had their parents' energy signatures intertwined with it.


	2. Calling Card

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

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**Author's Notes:**

So, here's an update for this fan fiction. I'm not sure if I mentioned it beforehand but this fanfic is a little bit different from the previous Daniel X fanfics that I have written as it has a bit more darker tone than usual.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary: **

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang_ must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter One**

**Calling Card**

* * *

There are a couple of things that makes being an Alien Hunter harder than most jobs that were _galactically _available. Of course, some of those things are obvious, like having a much shorter life span than an average worker, having legions of alien outlaws wanting your head served on a platter, and having a peaceful days as gifts that you'd come to cherish for they are fleeting and seldom last.

During that Sunday evening, as the flare with Windsor and Graciella's energy signature burned bright on the sky, Emma and Willy were both caught in between doing what their duty as Alien Hunters and protectors of Terra Firma and their duty as son and daughter.

I could see the battle that was going on inside them as they stared at the flare, Emma, forgetting for the moment the wounded human that she was supposed to heal ad Willy, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with worry. I felt the same worry as they did, but maybe not in the same magnitude. Ever since we had been reunited, Windsor and Graciella had acted as capable guardians to me—an extended family, though that was nothing new.

I looked over at my other companions—my _drang—_and saw that they too wanted to know what was going on. Windsor and Graciella shouldn't be on Terra Firma, not even close to the Milky Way Galaxy, but there was no mistaking the flares.

Dana looked over at me, she didn't need to say anything for me to understand what she was trying to convey. She wanted to know what I planned to do.

It wasn't such a hard decision to make.

I turned towards Emma and Willy, and said, "You guys be careful."

That caused them to look at me with surprise and question.

"What?" Emma asked.

I nodded to where the flare burned, "Your parents might need your help."

It quickly dawned on them after that what I was asking them to do. It was a call that I was sure was the right call to make, although they did look at me like I was crazy.

"W-We can't do that," Willy said, even though I could see the desire in his eyes: the desire to run as fast as he could to where his parents might be. "You need us here. You need Emma and her healing powers."

That was true. I needed them there. There was a lot of wounded and Emma had only managed to help a few of them, a lot more remained. But, I had made my decision. I clapped my hands together and summoned a copy of them—the Emma and Willy that had been with me for most of my adventures, until recently.

"Leave things here to us," The other Willy said, a grim look on his face.

"We can take care of things here," Nodded the other Emma. "I might not be as adept to healing as you are, but I can tap into Daniel's powers to heal them."

That was true. It was something we accidentally learned on one of our sweep missions. My created versions of my _drang_ could tap into the original's powers, but only if I shared my energy reserves with them. It was quite useful but, at the same time, draining. The amount of energy and concentration they used when performing such feats were humungous and it left me drained after a while.

Emma looked at Willy who looked back at her for a moment before they both looked at me, silently questioning if I was sure. I was. When they saw that, they both nodded and began to run at full-speed to where the flare pointed their parents were, but not before both of them whispered a shaky breath of thanks to me. I nodded. They didn't need to thank me. I know, more than anyone else, the importance of family.

* * *

"I hope they're doing okay," Dana said as she wiped the sweat that was forming on her brow, leaving a trail of soot and dirt on her forehead. "and that they found Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella."

I would have teased her with how disheveled she looked, but the air was thick and heavy and it felt wrong to make light of anything at the moment. So, I merely clapped my hands and created a towel, handing it to her. She thanked me before she used it.

"Yeah," was the only thing I could say.

My head was churning with all sorts of thoughts as to why a flare with their signatures on it would suddenly lit up the sky. All the reasoning I came up with seemed wrong, disturbing, and at times crazy. None of them fit, and the ones that did, did nothing to calm me. Twice the other Emma and Willy faded and twice had I needed to clap them back to existence. Both times they shot me a look that I knew too well, a look that told me to hold it together and stop worrying about things that I couldn't help.

"You really need to focus, Daniel," Joe said, the second time that it happened. "Emma and Willy phasing in and out of existence doesn't help make things faster for us."

"Yeah, I know," I said as I lifted a truck's wheel out of the way to pull the driver whose foot was buried under it. "I can't help thinking about the worse things, though. I keep asking, what if something bad happened to them?"

"You should know that Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella are stronger than we sometimes give them credit for," Dana said, even though the way she said it, she sounded as if she wasn't sure she could believe her own words. "I'm sure they're fine. It might be a technical glitch from the house, something must've set the flare to fire."

I had thought of that possibility. The house—our house—was over at that direction and, although that was possible, it was also hard to believe that it would coincide with whatever had happened to flip all the cars and vehicles and wound all those people around us.

"But, if it's not..." I said in barely a whisper, "I can't help but think that if something happens to them, it would be my fault. _I _asked for their help."

"Don't go there, Daniel," Dana said, pausing from her work of lifting stuff with her powers, "Don't go down that trail of thought."

She didn't have to worry about me going down that trail of thought after that, though, as hordes of aliens who looked like a cross of scarab beetles and grasshoppers suddenly jumped at us. You didn't need to be a genius to figure out who they worked for or what they wanted as they rushed towards us with their pincers gleaming like swords ready to amputate and decapitate anything in their path.

We were quick to respond to their sudden appearance and their attack.

Dana created a force field that shielded the humans from harm. I was thankful that they were incapacitated, otherwise, Dana would have had needed to use her powers on more than just protecting the civilians, she would have made sure that they wouldn't be able to see what was really happening and that would have taken quite a toll on her, after all that she had been through.

Joe was also quick to use his Symbiote computer to summon drones that attacked the incoming horde with laser beams and small—yet effective and highly dangerous—short-range missiles that made quick work with the first wave of the attack. The drones, which were small pods with a singular, circular light in the middle for eyes, were pretty useful in a fight where we are outnumbered, which, of course, wasn't a rare occurrence.

Emma and Willy, although not as strong as their original counterparts could have been under the fight, were also useful, though they seem to have forgotten where their energy for using their powers came from as they let out a barrage after barrage of attacks ranging from the trees suddenly lashing out at the bug-like aliens (courtesy of Emma) to volleys upon volleys of explosives that could have woken up the unconscious humans (courtesy of Willy).

I, on the other hand, had to use a less flashy way of dealing with our enemies since Emma and Willy were both using my energy reserves and straining my concentration. I had to depend on the help of two of the largest Elephants, both of which were wearing the thickest armor I could come up with, to trample the bugs, squishing them under their giant hooves. It wasn't the most sophisticated way to deal with them, sure, but no one could argue that my Elephants weren't the coolest part of arsenal after they did quick work of the remaining enemies.

Seeing how my pair of African Elephants wreaked the kind of havoc I enjoyed seeing—the kind in which The Prayer's forces were being decimated—I couldn't help but grinning amidst the fatigue that I was feeling.

_That'll show them not to mess with us,_ I couldn't help but think as the last of the alien mercenaries were destroyed.

"I guess we don't need to figure out where they came from and who sent them," Joe said as he dusted himself, although that didn't actually help much on his appearance as dirt and grime was still visible on his clothes.

"Or why they're here," added Dana who lowered the force fields surrounding the humans. I could see that she had wanted to fight during the battle, but was happy that she didn't try to overdo things, doing two tasks at once. She was already under a lot of strain as I was.

"But, if they're here that would mean that—" I was saying, but was cut off when Joe's Symbiote suddenly started beeping, a message was being transmitted to his Symbiote.

Joe didn't waste any time on accepting the message and opening the communication channel. As Dana and I crowded around him, Emma and Willy—the ones that were my creation—chose not to join in and, instead, went back to the work that was interrupted when the mercenaries attacked.

When the communication channel was opened and the transmission lines connected fully, Emma and Willy's faces appeared on the screen, behind them was a burning wreckage of some sort. Their faces were masked by something I couldn't quite pinpoint at that moment as my attention were not on what was burning behind them, but on the wounds that were clearly visible (with Joe's Symbiote transmitting with HD resoluton and all) on their faces, their necks and their arms.

"Are you guys alright?" Dana couldn't help asking as soon as she saw Emma and Willy.

"We're...fine," Willy replied on behalf of himself and his sister. "We got ambushed but, apart from a couple of bruises here and there, we're fine."

"That's good," Dana sighed in relief. Joe and I did, too, but not as audible as she did.

"We got our fair share of the attack, too." Joe informed the siblings. "For a group of mercenaries, they weren't as tough as you'd thought they'd be. Not that I was hoping they were. I'm actually glad they weren't."

"Yeah," was all Willy could say.

That one-worded response to what he could have answered with a long tirade on how he wanted to fight more and show-off his incredible skills was enough to tell me and the others that something was wrong. The slight trembling of Emma's lips was an added bonus, clearly signifying that, not only was something wrong, but something was _terribly_ wrong.

What Willy said in a hoarse voice, a trembling voice, made it feel as though I just swallowed lead.

"Mom and dad are dead."

* * *

The fire on the video, we learned when we got to the site, was from the wreckage caused by Windsor and Graciella's ship crashing into our house, leaving nothing left in their wake except from debris, debris, and more debris and a crater formed from the impact.

Windsor and Graciella, however, did not die from the crash. Not if the large, gaping holes on their body were any indication of how they truly died and the way their bodies were splayed a couple of feet away from the crash site.

The anger that flowed out of Willy, mixed with the sadness and lost, was palpable. The tears that flowed out of Emma's eyes were like a rushing waterfall as she clung at Dana who tried to sooth our distraught friend with Joe rubbing her back. All of them felt the same lost and sadness, the same hatred and need for vengeance.

All I could feel, however, was numbness.

I couldn't get the image of Windsor and Graciella's lifeless bodies out of my mind, and I didn't think I ever would get it out. It was seared there, like the image of the dead bodies of my parents. Everything about that scene was a calling card from The Prayer. Everything, with the exception of where the bodies were found, were similar to that of my parents. The way Windsor lay on top of his wife, in a protective gesture, in hopes that she would survive, and the way nothing was left on their chest except that large hole. The fire. The smell of burning flesh. The destruction all around me. It gave me a tunnel vision to the past. It reminded me of how my parents had died and who had killed them.

I felt the emotions gripping at my heart as I kept repeating that thought that the deaths of Willy and Emma's parents were a calling card from The Prayer made me clench my fist and my teeth. This wasn't a message to Willy and Emma. I was certain it wasn't. It was a message for me. A message that The Prayer will keep on coming after those I cared for, those I love, until none but me are left, and only then will he try to kill me.

I looked back at my _drang _and caught Dana looking at me. We held each other's gaze for as long as we could before she turned her attention back at Emma. In that moment that passed between us, I knew we were both thinking the same thing. It was just the beginning and things would, most definitely, worsen before they got better, more lives would be lost, and it would be up to us to stop it, and we will stop The Prayer. We will avenge those who had fallen: my parents and Willy and Emma's.


	3. Alpar Nok

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang_ must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Two**

**Alpar Nok**

* * *

"We heard what happened to Windsor and Graciella," the Azra-woman (Azras are semi-aquatic aliens with blue scales for skin, corals for hair, and big, black eyes that life on the planet, Azure on the Synthica Galaxy), S'Loni said. It was hard to gauge an Azra's emotion base on their facial expressions and I could only imagine that she was saddened by the news as well. "I am sorry for your lost, and especially for William and Emma's lost."

Trust S'Loni to keep on calling Willy "William". She had never been fond of nicknames and had always called us by our birthnames. If things were as they were before, Willy would have corrected her as soon as the name "William" was out of her lips.

But, things were different now. Willy and Emma's parents were dead, and all five of us were onboard the newly-improved Bon Adventure to bring Windsor and Graciella to their final resting place on Alpar Nok. It was one of the things that I wasn't able to do for my own parents, having no means to transport them back to our homeworld.

Thinking back, I should have tried harder. Though thoughts about the past and the things I should have done differently did me no good now.

S'Loni's hologram flickered in and out, signifying how bad the connection were from her end. As Emma's new mentor on how to use her powers properly, I couldn't help but wonder if she desired to be with her apprentice at that moment, and if she would have been, if she hadn't been faced with such a dire situation from her own world.

"Their parents were both exceptional—both as Trackers and as Hunters. Their deaths would leave such a great impact on our forces." S'Loni went on. There was no lilt to her voice.

"Yes, it would." was the only thing I could say. Lately, my mind had been drawing a blank with the only thoughts being of the image of Windsor and Graciella's broken bodies.

"Did you ever figure out how their ship ended up crashing on your hideout?" she inquired, genuinely curious. "The last I heard from them, they were at the Glacious System, and that's a long way from the Milky Way and from Terra Firma."

"We couldn't really investigate the crash site as much as we wanted, the human authorities were quick to respond," I explained, remembering that we had to make a break for it just as the police, the firemen, ad the media suddenly came rushing to the scene. "But, from what Dana and the others had pieced together, it's likely that those bug-creeps piloted the ship and hoped to perform a _kamikaze_ on us. We were lucky we were out of the house when the ship crashed, otherwise, we'd be dead, too."

S'Loni raised an eyebrow, well, I think she did. I could never really tell since Azras don't have eyebrows. The way her brows moved, however, made it seem like she was doing just that.

"What?" I asked, not sure why she was looking at me the way she did. She usually reserved such a look at Joe when Joe was bordering on confusing her or being an idiot.

"Did I hear you right, Daniel X, when you said that it was Dana and the others who worked on that mystery?" I wouldn't call it a 'mystery', but I nodded at her. When she got my answer, she went on to speak, "I find it strange that it was not you who deduced it. Usually, your wits are as quick as a Ferunga snatching Ernost from the water."

Ferunga is a sort of bird-creature living on Azure, preying on aquatic animals of the planet like the Ernost, which looked like an eel merged with a centipede.

I gave a small smile, it wasn't the first time she noted how fast I was to piece facts together when I put my heart into it. "Not this time, S'Loni."

S'Loni nodded. There was something about her that told me she understood what I meant.

"I hope you will be able to rise to the occasion, Daniel X," she said, making my name sound like 'Dan-Eel' rather than 'Daniel'. "They would need your leadership now more than ever."

"They would need more than that, I'm afraid." I told her honestly. "What can the five of us, and a band of renegades do against The Prayer? Windsor and Graciella were the ones we depended on to bring an alliance, across the universe, together...and now they're gone. Khadagh is gone. Even the other mentors had been killed and, if we're not careful, you might end up the same way they did." I paused, took a shaking breath and said, "I...I can't have any more blood spilt because of the war _I _waged against The Prayer."

S'Loni was silent for a moment, regarding me, most probably. Unlike the other mentors, whom I steered clear from, S'Loni was...different. There was something about her that made it easier for me to tell her what I truly felt and not wear a mask and pretend that I was infallible. I wasn't sure if it was because she was in-tuned with everything and everyone around her, making it easy for her to sense a person's true feelings, or if, at that moment, I really just want to be able to say something without fear that my _drang_ might lose heart as well.

"You were the only one who was vocal about it, Daniel X," S'Loni said. "and the only one who is capable of hurting The Prayer. The whole universe had waged a war on him even before you were born. Even his own kind shunned him and his ways. This isn't your battle to bear alone, Alien Hunter, but you and your _drang_ alone can lead it. You are, after all, the last of the capable hunters of your race. Wars had always been bloody and messy, and many lives will be lost, but those lives lost were lives given for a cause—a just cause. Do not let their lives be sacrificed in vain by doubting yourself and what you are fighting for. What would Graff and Altrea think? What would your ancestors think?"

I sighed. She was right.

"Well," I said with a sigh, "I'm going to find that out once I see Blaleen again. I'm sure she'll have tons of things to say to me when she sees the state I'm in."

S'Loni laughed, at least, that's what it looked like. Her laugh didn't have a sound. "You won't be able to hide anything from her, that's for sure."

S'Loni had no idea.

* * *

The Bon Adventure was a hollow shell of its former self, and I think I could say the same about Willy and Emma. It was understandable, however. Shock, anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, there were so many emotions whirling around them that it was amazing how they hadn't lost it. Anyone of lesser will might have crumbled. But then, I suppose, there weren't anyone on the universe with stronger wills than those of my _drang_...and that isn't some empty bragging. It's the truth.

Everyone, however, was trying to cope with the lost.

Willy had locked himself on his room, though I sometimes hear gunfire. The first night it happened, Dana, Joe, and I were worried that he'd done something stupide, like, commit suicide out of grief and were all relieved when he came out without any bullet holes on him. Apparently, he was blowing off steam by shooting off targets on his room's makeshift shooting range. I thanked whatever scientist came up with the bullet-proof walls that encased his room.

Emma on the other hand preferred being with Dana and Joe, choosing company instead of solitude. Every time I saw her, her eyes were rimmed red and her lack of sleep becoming apparent with each and every morning. At times you can talk to her, other times, she would just stare into space before tears would start falling down her face again.

Joe never left Emma's side and, although Dana would accompany the two at times, Joe was always a constant around Emma. It was strange, seeing his strength bloom around her. He was able to do what none of us could. He was able to anchor her. I would watch them and I would see something akin to what Dana and I have and I would wonder if I was just imagining it or if there really was something _more _going on between Joe and Emma. Whatever the case, I was glad that Joe was there for her. Though I was close to Emma, I couldn't say that I would be able to bring her the same amount of comfort that Joe could easily give her.

As I have said, Dana also kept Emma company, though not as much as Joe did. When she's with her, Dana would talk with her about normal stuff. When I asked her why, she said that it was a way to help Emma move on, keep her from thinking too much and dwelling on what had happened. When Dana wasn't with Emma, she was with me, and we would just lay together in the silence of my room with the hum of the ship's engine keeping us company. We didn't need to say anything. Being with each other was enough and we were able to say more than words could. If Joe was Emma's anchor, Dana was mine and so much more.

The journey to Alpar Nok was painstakingly slow as we had to take a different route than the one I had used before since there were The Prayer's forces on patrol. Although we all had that need for vengeance, we also knew that now wasn't the time. Two of our own were not fit to fight and would do more damage to us if we did choose to break through those patrols. And so, we chose to evade them. The trip that could have just taken us three days tops ended up having an ETA of a week and a half.

S'Loni wasn't the only one who contacted me to send their condolences to Willy and Emma. The other members of our small alliance did as well, from dignitaries from distant planets whom Windsor and Graciella had helped to fellow Alien Hunters from different (and sometimes lesser—in terms of strength) species. The other mentors who had taken the place of our old ones also contacted me. Other leaders of the rebellion gave reports that Windor and Graciella would otherwise had taken. It was tiresome having to contend with all of that, that I usually end up falling asleep even before I hit the bed.

"You know, you should just let the messages go to voice mail," she told me one night one when we were lying together and after a barrage of calls, not all of it courtesy ones. "You're burning yourself up. I don't think they would mind if you're unable to talk with them."

"Yeah, I could," I sighed as I buried my face on her hair. It smelled nice, it always did. "But that might translate to me being incapable of leading this rebellion. We might lose allies if I did."

"Or," Dana countered, "they might think you're resting and dealing with Willy and Emma's loss."

"How are they?" I asked, feeling embarrassed that I wasn't there to comfort my friends and instead had been busy with "politics".

"Better than they were the day before," was Dana's reply. "They're still feeling the hole left by Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella's deaths, but they're also starting to feel the need to put The Prayer in his place."

I nodded, I knew the feeling all too well. The hole will never be filled, it would stay with them forever. The pain will subside, sure, but there would be times when they would feel it, unexpectedly.

"S'Loni contacted me, you know," came the surprising news from Dana a couple of minutes later, when silence had filled the air.

I didn't bother to hide the surprise in my voice when I asked, "She did? What did she want?"

"Well, for one, she wanted me to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't do anything reckless and stupid," she sounded flippant about it that, for a moment, I wondered if that really was what S'Loni talked to her about. When her tone changed, but the topic remained, I knew she wasn't messing with me or trying to use S'Loni to boost my spirits up. "She's worried that you would." Looking up at me, she added, "I'm worried, too, Daniel."

I tried to avoid looking at her eyes, but I couldn't. Though, truth be told, I didn't try all that hard at all.

Heaving another sigh, I replied, "I'm not going to do something stupid, Dana. I can't afford to do any stunts that would put anyone else in danger."

"But that doesn't mean that you're already concocting some sort of plan to attack The Prayer on your own," she pointed out. "I _know _you, Daniel. I know that you're going to try something, by yourself, with the hopes of not letting anyone suffer the same fate that Uncle Windsor ad Aunt Graciella did. I'm telling you now, I won't let you."

The determination that burned on eyes told me she wasn't bluffing. Dana would incapacitate me if it meant I didn't get to go on my suicide mission. She was right, though. I had been making plans on how to deal with this problem alone. She was also right when it came to my reasoning.

I gave her a chaste kiss before saying, "I can't make any promises, Dana because if I had to choose, I would rather not put you...or anyone close to me, in danger...never again."

Apparently, it wasn't my choice to make.

#

Alpar Nok wasn't the same as when I had left it, after the battle with Urgent Seth. The rubble from the battle that had claimed so many of our people were still there, but not as much as it was before. With Urgent Seth gone and the hope of our people renewed, the Alparians that I had left on that planet began the painstaking job of rebuilding Alpar Nok.

There was a sense of normalcy in the air, though there was sadness as well. The news of the death of two of our own had reached those from our homeworld. Not that I tried to keep it a secret. I had, after all, asked Blaleen's assistance on the ritual our people had of burying our dead. She had accepted, though she wished she didn't had to.

Ever since I had left Alpar Nok after the whole episode with Seth, I had kept constant communication with my grandmother. I had told her everything I could, though I left the dangerous bits and pieces out. She always had a knack for knowing that I was keeping things from her, though. Although, she didn't press me to divulge those things, there were times when she did—usually, on things where Dana and the others were involved.

I was lucky I wasn't the one that had to tell them the news that the others were alive. Khadagh had handled that himself, though Windsor and Graciella had helped prove his words. A party was held to celebrate their return, but we were unable to join in on the festivities. Khadagh and the other mentors didn't let us and instead had sent us to different parts of the universe to start with our separate training. Now, however, the streets were filled with people not for the celebration of the lives that were returned, but to honor the lives that were lost.

As soon as we landed, Blaleen and a group of Alaprians welcomed us and helped carry the pods containing Windsor and Graciella's bodies to their place of honor, where it would stay for a day before being "offered up"—burned, as was our way of burying our dead. It was, after all, the way of the warriors and hunters.

The moment I disembarked from the ship, Blaleen came over to give me a big hug that you would not have thought possible for a woman her age. She didn't linger too much on me and, after releasing me from her bone-crushing hug, proceeded to hug Dana, Joe and finally Willy and Emma.

"It is good to see you children safe," she said, a sad smile on her face. "But I would have hoped that it would be under different circumstances." To Willy and Emma she said, "Windsor and Graciella were among the best, and they would be treated with the honor and respect that they deserve. Now come, the others await."

We followed Blaleen, joining in with the saddest parade I had ever been a part of.


	4. Regrets Re:Set

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary: **

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang_ must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Three**

**Regrets; Re:Set**

* * *

For the most part of the celebration, it was somber. When the older Alien Hunters who had worked with Windsor and Graciella arrived, however, things began to change. These other Alien Hunters—who were not Alparian, by the way— came from all over the universe to pay their last respects to their fallen comrade. As the festivities commenced, some of those other hunters told stories of their adventures with our lost brethren. There was good humor in them, trying to raise the spirits of those whom Windsor and Graciella had left behind.

As the children left behind, Willy and Emma had no choice but stay close. Though it was inspiring and entertaining hearing them talk of adventures from long ago, I think Dana, Joe, and I were all thankful that we weren't forced to listen to all of them. Some of those stories were, well, inappropriate at best.

We stayed with Emma and Willy as much as we could, but when things get a little bit awkward, we skedaddled. Several times we saw Blaleen shaking her head at us and giving that 'Tut, tut' sound, clearly not liking how we bailed out on our friends.

The day went by, longer than the days usually did. On the second day, Blaleen led the ritual to send Windsor and Graciella off. As she began talking about the "cycle of life" and the oaths that Alien Hunters had taken, I couldn't help but glance over at where Willy and Emma stood, side-by-side, beside the opened pods that contained their parents' bodies. I had expected Emma to start crying again and for Willy to force himself not to, but when I looked at them, there weren't any hints that tears had fallen or were threatening to fall down on their faces. What I saw was conviction, a renewed sense of purpose.

When the time finally came, Willy and Emma both took point, burning torches in their hands they faced the pod. I don't know what it was they whispered to their parents, I never asked and I don't think I ever will, but as soon as their final goodbyes were said, the siblings lay the torches down and set fire to the interior of the pods before they closed the pods. Those who came to pay their final respects stayed for as long as the bodies burned and only left when the embers were dying. Dana, Joe, and I stayed for as long as we were needed.

When Emma finally came down, she asked Joe and Dana to accompany her. They agreed, of course, though they wondered where they were going. Before they left, however, Emma whispered to me that Willy wanted to talk to me. I didn't know what Willy would want, but I nodded and watched them go before I climbed up the steps towards the pod and to where Willy stood, watching and waiting for the last of the embers to die out.

"Emma said you wanted to talk to me," I said as greeting.

Willy nodded, though his eyes remained transfix on the pods. "I had so many things I wanted to say to them, you know, but I couldn't. I didn't think I'd lose them so soon..."

"I know the feeling," I said, and my words, Willy knew, did not ring hollow. "You never really realize what you have until it's gone." I shook my head and then said, "Look, Willy, I'm sorry. It's my fault that this happened. The Prayer wanted to send a message to me, to remind me of how powerless I can be. If your parents hadn't agreed to my stupid proposition, they would still be alive. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

A sigh escaped Willy's lips as he shook his head before turning to me, "It's not your fault, you know. Mom and dad...they both wanted to help, would've jumped in on the chance to fight against Undinogh if we'd have waited for them even. They did what they were supposed to do, and as their son, I am proud of them for that..." His lips then quirked into a small smile and he gave a laugh that sounded just a little bit short of forced, "Taking things for granted, really sucks. But, I guess, Emma has it more difficult than I do."

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but ask, not sure what he was talking about.

Realization dawned on Willy. "That's right, you didn't know. Emma had asked Dana to keep you out of the loop."

"Out of the loop about what?"

Willy turned his attention back at the pods, "She wanted to keep it a secret from everybody. At least, until it was the right time to tell and until she could muster up the courage to tell our parents about it. But, things got a little bit out of control, mom and dad left before she could and well...this happened, and we all know what's going to happen next...she never had the chance to tell our parents about it."

I wanted to be patient, to let Willy say whatever he wanted to say, to wait until he tells me what this whole "secret" was supposed to be about. I am a very patient person but there were times when my patience burnt out faster than a straw, and that was one of those times. I couldn't resist crossing my arms and tapping my feet, as if that would hurry him up and spill it out for me.

Willy laughed when he noticed my impatience and the silent question that I had written on my face.

"Her engagement."

I looked at him, unsure if I actually heard what I _thought _I heard. The foot-tapping stopped and my expression changed from impatience to uncertainty.

"I'm sorry but did you just say...her engagement?" I ask, tentatively.

"Yeah, you heard it right. Hard to believe, yeah?" Willy said, I could see how the topic irked him but at the same time he seem to find something in it to make him smile.

"B-But she isn't even eighteen yet." I said, "How'd she end up being engaged?"

"Ah, well...that's a little bit of an embarrassing story on my part," Willy admitted, scratching his cheek. "I kinda ended up making Joe challenge me. Thought the idiot wouldn't win against me but, as it turned out, he'd been training a lot harder than I had and, well, he beat me in The Duel."

If I had been drinking anything when Willy told me that, I would have spit it out on him and spilled the drink.

"Joe? Joe's her betrothed?" I did not expect that. Well, maybe I did thought that it was possible for them to end up being together but with everything that was happening and how we were still a year younger than when our culture allowed us to be married, it was hard to believe. Besides, Joe wasn't one to take up something like The Duel. He'd have opted for some sort of peaceful resolution...but, I was, apparently, wrong in thinking that. "Are you serious?"

Willy laughed. Really laughed.

"Hard to believe, eh?" he said when his laughter had died down. "Didn't really thought he'd beat me when I agreed to hold The Duel with him. You should've seen the horrified look on Emma's face when I tried to turn loverboy into a pile of mush. Of course, I got into trouble with her after that. Although, she did berate Joe for even agreeing with me and having that fight. Still, you could tell she was happy with how it worked out. But," he sighed, "she didn't get a chance to tell mom and dad about it. She thought we still had time..."

"I wish I could help you, Willy, give you and Emma more time with your parents. Go back in time and change things if I had to," I couldn't help but say as I clenched my fist.

He turned to me and with the most serious of expressions I had ever seen on his face, he asked, "Then why don't you? You have that power to travel back in time, right? You can change things, like you said."

I shook my head. He should already know the answer to that.

"I want to but I can't. We don't know anything about the time they were attacked and I just can't whimsically change the past. Not for any reason..." I would have been the first to tried that out, to save my parents' life and the unborn Porkchop, err, Brenda. But, I can't and not for lack of trying. I just wasn't allowed to change stuff like that. "I'm sorry."

"No, I get it. I should apologize. You, of all people, would have done anything for us." Willy shook his head, "It's just that..."

It was my turn to shake my head once again, "I understand."

We stood there in silence for as long as we could, before we both decided that it was time to go down and back to our lives and the bitter realities that go with it.

* * *

I wanted to ask Dana a lot of things, mostly about Emma's engagement with Joe, but the chance to ask her of such things didn't come easily.

As soon as we got to Blaleen's house where we were staying, I was immediately greeted by Blaleen who said nothing but with a grim face handed me a communicator. I looked at her confused, then at the communicator. She didn't say anything, just left me there with it. The blinking lights told me that someone was already on the other end.

_How could things get any worse?_ I asked, though I didn't want to voice that question out in fear of whatever higher power suddenly decides that it was a challenge. It wasn't.

Willy looked at me and I shrugged even before he could ask me the obvious question, "What's that all about?"

"I guess I have to take this," I said, motioning at the communicator. He nodded, no other questions asked as he followed Blaleen inside.

I sighed before I pressed the buttons that would release the locks on the communicator and bring it to life, allowing me to speak to whomever was on the other end.

That person happened to be S'Loni.

"I hope I hadn't interrupted your rituals," S'Loni said as way of greeting. "I would not have contacted you had it not been for something important, Daniel X."

"No, it's fine. The service just ended..." I said. "Is there something I can do for you S'Loni?"

Even though I asked the question, the way Blaleen had looked at me told me that there was and that this wasn't the first time S'Loni called or tried to contact me.

_Which means that it's something important..._

"I am afraid that I would need your assistance, you and your _drang_'s." She said.

The sound of an explosion suddenly cut through our communication. At first, I thought someone was attacking Alpar Nok again, looking around, however, showed me no signs of such an attack. Which only pointed to one source for the sound.

"S'Loni?" I asked, afraid that no one would answer on the other end, or if someone would answer, it wouldn't be S'Loni. "S'Loni, are you there?"

There was a bit of static before I could hear S'Loni's voice again. Even before I could understand what she was saying, I was already sighing with relief. I might have shouted her name too loudly since Dana, Willy, Joe and Emma suddenly ran out of the house and towards me, frantic looks on their faces.

"Daniel, what happened?" Dana was the first to ask.

I pointed at the communicator on my hand and said, "S'Loni. I thought she was torn to pieces by an explosion."

I swear she could've hit me at the back of my head. She didn't, thankfully.

"S'Loni, can you repeat that?" I asked. "I didn't quite get what you said. Static."

"Sorry about that," S'Loni replied, though there was still a little bit of static as she spoke. "I have moved away from the battle."

"Battle? What battle?" Emma asked, worry blossomed on her once again. "S'Loni, what are you talking about?"

"Is that my little _arkesh_?" S'Loni asked, surprised to hear Emma's voice. "I am sorry about what happened to your parents, little one."

"T-Thanks," unguarded was all Emma could say before she shook her head and repeated her earlier question, "S'Loni, what did you mean by battle? Who are your people fighting against?"

"Ah, yes, the battle. It appears that you are correct in suspecting that The Prayer's forces would target us next, Daniel." S'Loni answered, though she gave me the answer instead of Emma. "The Azras are not in the mood to lay down our weapons in surrender against these creatures The Prayer calls his own, not after what they did to my little _arkesh_'s parents. But, it would take time for the full force of our army to arrive at the warfront. I am afraid, I need your assistance to keep them at bay, Daniel X."

"Wait, what?" It was Joe who spoke, "Are you saying that The Prayer's forces are already on Azure?"

S'Loni gave an exasperated sound at Joe's question.

"Of course not," she answered, though, to be honest, I thought the same thing that Joe did. "If that had been the case, I wouldn't have been able to contact Daniel X and all would have been lost. No, The Prayer's forces have yet to breach our twenty-fourth fleet's defenses. But we are slowly being outnumbered and it would take time for help to arrive."

"What makes you think that us being there would change anything?" Willy couldn't help but ask. "We're only five people."

"Five powerful Alien Hunters," S'Loni corrected. "Enough, I believe, to drive away this abominable creations of his."

By 'his', I assumed she meant The Prayer, and it made me curious the way she phrased that. It made me wonder if they were facing some biotic weapon The Prayer had come up with.

My _drang_ looked at me, waiting for me to answer S'Loni's request. It was dangerous, I knew that and it could be a trap but I couldn't keep myself from helping. S'Loni is one of the remaining mentors we have, a family to Emma even. To abandon her would be akin to abandoning her parents as well and it would send a message to the other members of the alliance that we didn't care for our allies, that we would sit on the sidelines when the need arose and do nothing. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let the alliance that Windsor and Graciella helped build be destroyed that way, and so, I agreed to help the Azras.

S'Loni was relieved and very thankful that I chose to do so. She gave us the coordinates of their fleet and told us to hurry before she said goodbye to return to her post and continue with the fight.

I looked at my _drang_, curious about what they thought with how quickly I decided to help S'Loni and her people. I didn't see anything that told me they didn't approve, which made me release the breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"So I guess we wouldn't be able to stick around here much longer," Joe said.

I nodded. "We can't let The Prayer defeat S'Loni and the Azras. They're a powerful race."

"And I would have hated you if you had chosen not to help them, Daniel." Emma told me with a firm look on her face, one that changed into a small smile—the first smile from her I had seen in a while—before she said, "Thank you."

I nodded.

"Well, let's get this show on the road." Dana said.

"Yeah, we got some aliens that are in need of rescuing and scumbags in need of some beating," Willy pounded his knuckles together, eager for a fight.

And a fight was where we were going and I had no intention of holding back. None of us did.


	5. Crashing To The Rescue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Four**

**Crashing To The Rescue**

* * *

I didn't realize it, not before we inputted the coordinates on the Bon Adventure's console, one other reason why S'Loni decided to ask for _our_ help instead of the other alliance members that would have also, without a doubt, come to their rescue: the twenty-fourth fleet was stationed not far from Alpar Nok.

"That's unexpected," Dana said as she sat next to me, looking at the map that showed our current location and our destination. "I thought we would be heading to Azure."

"If we were, S'Loni wouldn't have had the need to give Daniel coordinates for it." Joe said, then added, "Emma would know how to get to Azure, remember?"

"I know _where _Azure is but I don't know _how _to get there," Emma corrected him before turning her attention to the screen, "S'Loni's the one who maneuvers the ship after all whenever she comes to pick me up...But, why is the twenty-fourth fleet here?"

"We better find S'Loni as fast as we can then and get some answers out of her," I said, enabling the high-end engines to take over to bring us faster to our destination.

* * *

Have you ever seen a cockroach up-close? Like, really, _really_ close that you could see every part of its body?

Have you ever seen a dung beetle up-close as well?

Now, combine those two disgusting insects and then magnify their size a hundred times, make them a hundred times larger than Elephants. Picture that floating in space, attacking ships that are shaped like orbs with water in them. If you managed to do it, then, congratulations! You now have a vague grasp of what we saw because the ships that housed The Prayer's forces looked exactly like a merging between cockroaches and dung beetles.

There weren't a lot of those ships, and though they seem to have a common size and feature, the ships differ in length—some shorter than others, all of them, however, were targeting the Azure ships.

"Now those are gross," Joe commented.

"I...agree." Both Dana and Emma said in unison, and you could see how they did not enjoy seeing the thing. I wasn't surprised though, both of them did hate bugs with a passion and cockroaches and dung beetles were at the top of their list.

"So, how do we go from here?" Willy asked, surprising me. I thought he was going to suggest we go in with 'guns-a-blazing'. When he saw me looking at him with a weird expression on my face, he asked, "What?"

I shook my head, laughed it off and said, "Nothing. I just thought you'd want to ram our ship to one of theirs and have this massive and explosive entrance or something."

The way Willy looked at me would have made you think that I was the crazy one, but then the expression on his face changed: his lips twitched before curving into the biggest smile I've seen in a while, his eyes alight with mischief and the beginnings of something—an idea, maybe—that I was sure I would soon regret.

"Finally!" Willy bellowed as he gave my back a friendly—yet painful—pat. "Didn't think you'd suggest something like that. Never thought you'd be thinking about anything to make my somber mood go away. Nice going, Chief!"

"But, I didn't—" I was at a lost.

Willy then went to the consoles and inputted a command that caused the Bon Adventure to lurch forward in a speed that was usually reserved for making an escape or ramming into things.

"What are you doing?" Emma's voice went high-pitched as Willy punched the console, causing it to short itself out without any hope of undoing what he did.

Willy turned to grin at his sister, "Making sure we're all in for the ride."

"Oh, brother," was all Joe could say, shaking his head. Then he and Dana both glared at me, like it was my fault that Willy suddenly decided to be suicidal.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

Before either of them could tell me what the look was for, Willy shouted, above the sound of the engine roaring to full power, "Brace yourself for impact, people!"

And brace ourselves we did.

* * *

Have you ever smelled bugs being burnt to a crisp? You may not have noticed the smell, but when the bug in question is such a monstrosity as the ships that The Prayer's legions were on, you would probably never get the smell out of your nostrils, your hair, or your clothes.

When the Bon Adventure collided with the biggest ship that bug aliens were in, it created an explosion just like Willy hoped it would. Had it not been for Dana's ability to create barriers and force fields, we wouldn't have survived. But, as it were, she managed to keep us from getting hurt. Of course, her annoyance at losing the chance to surprise the enemy was directed at me who, according to her, gave Willy the idea to do what he did. Thanks to that, she ended up letting me fall flat on the floor when we crashed.

"Ugh," I pushed myself up, shook my head and wiped the gore from my face. It wasn't just a ship, that's for sure. "You didn't have to do that, Dana."

Dana just "harrumphed" and I knew that it would take much more than that for her to let the whole thing go.

"Next time," Joe said as he dusted himself, though there was nothing to dust away. "try to avoid giving Willy wild ideas like that...even as a joke."

"Duly noted," I groaned and looked around.

We were inside the ship, which was gruesome. Think being inside a whale, a monster whale. It stank, badly. The walls weren't made of metal or some other form of material but were, instead, made of flesh and bones and body liquid that would stick to your hand if you touch it. Explosions were still rocketing throughout the ship, spewing debris and fire, burning the bug-ship's interior and exterior. Dana's protection was still on us so we didn't have to worry about catching fire or being hit on the head with anything. I kind of wished that the protection extended to the goo that reached past our ankles.

Apart from the sound of explosions and of battle not too far away, there was a low rumbling sound. It wasn't quite like an engines, almost like a breath and we didn't need any more evidence to show that we really were inside a huge transport-type alien insect.

"I don't think my Symbiote would be useful here," Joe said as he pocketed his Symbiote, a disgruntled look on his face.

"And I won't be able to create a path for us to follow either," Emma said, "There are no wires, no electricity to track, nothing. We'll have to do this the old fashion way."

"Which is why we _shouldn't_ have crashed ourselves into this thing," Dana said exasperated, shaking her head. "We could have taken time to find out what this thing is and how to take it down."

"We'll find a way," Willy said, pumping his chest. He was so sure of it. "We always do, right, Chief?"

"Please, quit with the 'Chief' already," I sighed and saw that Dana was looking at me, perhaps waiting if I would agree with her or Willy. I shook my head. "Dana's right, you shouldn't have done that, Willy but, there's nothing we can do about that now. We'll just have to improvise."

"It's not going to be easy," Dana said, seemingly pacified by the way I skirted her wrath. She still wasn't happy with our predicament, though. And I couldn't blame her. I wasn't either. And I wished that I had just kept my mouth shut. "Then again, it's not like we made any plans. Now, how are we going to find S'Loni?"

We didn't have a plan, true. But, like always, something began to form at the back of my mind as I remembered the communicator.

Clapping my hands together, I created my version of it from my memory. My _drang_ looked at me, not sure why I would use my energy and concentration on such a thing. I didn't explain anything to them, instead, I proceeded to press the sequence that I knew would connect me to our Azra friend. It took a while, but I did manage to form a fuzzy connection with her.

"Daniel?" S'Loni asked. "Are you alright? I saw your ship."

I nodded, "Yeah, Willy just decided to literally crash the party. We're inside the biggest one. Where are you?"

She turned her attention to Willy who was visible through the communicator. "Really, William, you should stop being so reckless."

"It was his idea," Willy said, pinning the blame on me.

"Daniel X would never try a stunt like that," S'Loni said, her arms crossed.

I laughed, nervously. That...wasn't entirely true and I could see the others getting ready to enumerate the times when I did do something reckless. Before they could, though, I brought the question back up for S'Loni to answer.

"S'Loni, your location?" I asked.

"Oh, right," S'Loni said, getting back on track. It's kind of funny she could lose track of her thoughts, though at the moment it was more bothersome than funny. "If you're in their mothership, then we would be on the sphere a couple of clicks to the northwest. I would suggest you find a way to get past all of them without being seen, though they look primitive, they are a pretty darn good shot. They can take out your ship in an instant if they notice you coming, and they will—they already have, I think—what with their heat sensors."

"Heh, makes it sound like I _did_ make the right call in crashing Bon Adventure here," he looked smug, and I couldn't help but silently agree with him. "We would've been shot down, either way."

"In a way, yes. But now you are posed with a different kind of problem," S'Loni said. "I would love to send some of my people to get you but...under our current predicament, I am afraid you will have to find a way yourselves. I know it sounds harsh even after you came here to help us."

"No, don't worry about it," I said, because I was sure she was worrying about it. That was just how S'Loni was. "We'll figure something out. Just, focus on defending yourselves. It won't do us any good if you end up being blown out of the water, S'Loni."

"Yes, of course. You're absolutely right, Daniel X." She said, her words were rushed, like she was hurrying the conversation along. "I have to go now, but I do hope for your success...for both of our sakes."

And the communicator went dead. I let it fizzle out of existence, but not before I asked Joe to reroute his Symbiote to be able to pick up any incoming signals from S'Loni. He managed to do it in a couple of seconds, thereby saving me the time, energy, and concentration needed to keep creating the communicator when needed.

"I'm open to any ideas on how we handle this," I said as we stood right by an organ that was pumping what I thought was blood, or bile...or something that I didn't really want to think about.

"And here we were thinking you had a plan," Emma shook her head.

"I did have one, just before S'Loni shot it down by telling me can't fly out of here." I informed them. They seem to have decided to gang up on me an pin this whole mess on me. I glared at Willy.

"Well, I do have one," Joe said after a while, turning to the girls he said, "but, um, you guys might not like it."

Everyone's attention was then focused on Joe and as he told us what the creature we were in was (a Raihin) and a bunch of other stuff about it. He said he came across something in his quick research that made him think about the possibility of his plan—which was to take control of the Raihin and use it against the others Raihins. As it was bigger, it would be easy to push the others away with it, not to mention that the Raihins also had weapons of their own as S'Loni had said that would be useful for shooting down its kind.

It was a good idea and the girls would have jumped into it, agreed to it, had it not been for one important thing...

"You _can't_ be serious," Dana said, appalled. "You want us to crawl around this...this thing to get to its brain? Do you any idea how disgusting that would be, Joe?"

"I do have an idea, yes, but it's the only way to hijack a Raihin." Joe said.

"I don't really mind the goo, but I agree with Dana, that is disgusting, who knows what else we need to pass by in order to get there?" Emma huffed.

Dana and Emma were rarely squeamish about stuff like this. After all, they had their fair share of gore and of organs flying about from the enemies that they have dealt with, but I sort of see where they were coming from. What I did back then to defeat Ergent Seth, it was pretty gross, but I was in a different skin: a tick at first, then an Elephant, unlike now where I am using my own skin. I was tempted to transform into something else, but I figured I shouldn't. I was pretty sure that Dana and Emma wouldn't be too happy with me bailing out on them with this.

"What about our method of escape?" I asked, hoping that it would take the thought of walking inside a giant bug away for even a moment. "I don't think breaking out of here by making its head explode or something would help us."

"It won't," Joe was quick to answer, making sure that Willy doesn't get any ideas. "We need this thing to keep on attacking the other Raihins and chase them away, so we can't do anything that would destroy it, apart from hijacking it's brain and its processes. We can either hurry back here, which would be impossible if we are far from this thing's brain or we could take the, um, other exit."

"What other exit?"

Joe's answer did not make the girls happier. It made walking to the creature's brain a walk in a park.

"No!" Emma and Dana both shouted in unison.

Dana then turned to me and said, "Tell him that we are not going _that_ way."

"There is no other way out than going that way," Joe pressed.

"What about the mouth?" Emma asked, and I could see that she was shuddering from the idea and the thought of it all.

Joe shook his head as he booted up his Symbiote again, calling upon it a diagram of the Raihin's insides. The diagram showed us a vague glimpse of how long we'd have to walk to get to our destination. It was vague because we weren't entirely sure where we were inside of it, exactly. It also showed us that the Raihin didn't have a mouth, at least, not one that could be used as an exit point.

"Sorry," Joe said, "I wouldn't have mapped out our escape like that if the mouth was accessible as an escape."

Try as they might to come up with another escape route, there wasn't really any other viable option. In the end, Dana and Emma could only groan in defeat. We didn't have a choice, we were going to escape the creature's innards by heading out of it's butt. The idea didn't thrill me. Of course, before we could escape, we need to put our plan into action and we were running out of time.


	6. Hardly A Beautiful Nightmare

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I was supposed to upload this yesterday but I wasn't able to do so thanks to all the preparations I had to do and things I had to accomplish for my recently published book. So, yeah, I hope that, at least, nets me a free-pass for those of you who had been waiting for this update.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter...and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Five**

**Hardly A Beautiful Nightmare**

* * *

"Never. Again." Dana hissed at Joe as she landed, with a thump, on our new ship which I refused to be named "Bon Adventure III". She was the last to exit the Raihin and to say that she was embarrassed for having to have left the said creature that way and angry for having to do so, would be an understatement. I didn't feel sorry for Joe when the girls berated him for it. Although Willy and I seemed unperturbed by it, we weren't exactly. I wasn't sure about Willy, but I was miffed that we had to squeeze ourselves through a butt-hole in order to get out.

_No amount of baths could ever erase this,_ I couldn't help thinking, shuddering.

"Please tell me this ship has a bath, Daniel," Emma sounded resigned, as she had been through the whole ordeal.

I nodded. "Two baths. I made sure it was ready when you girls, um, got out. It's a full bath and there's hot water in it."

Emma sighed, relieved while Dana said, "I could kiss you right now if you weren't cover in...all that."

"All that" wasn't just goo. It was much more than the creature's liquids and biological wastes...

"I'll put it in your tab then," I grinned, of which Dana merely rolled her eyes before following Emma to where the bathroom was.

As soon as the girls were gone, Joe turned to me and whined, "How come I get the cold shoulder? You're the one who started the whole mess. If you didn't give explosion-maniac here any ideas about crashing the ship, we wouldn't have been in there to begin with."

I just grinned at him as I turned back to the monitor and watched the "mothership"—as S'Loni called it—drive all the other Raihins away, bombing them as they went.

Hijacking the creature's mind wasn't hard. Getting to the brain was, though. The path to it wasn't exactly treacherous. We hardly met any resistance and when we did, we took care of it with a flash. The difficulty came from having to stomach going _through_ it. It was slippery, gooey, yucky, and overall disturbing traversing the innards of an already disgusting creature. I was sure I was going to have nightmares about it for weeks to come, maybe even for life.

"It'll be kind of funny if Emma breaks her engagement with you because of this, though," Willy said, chuckling. Joe's face paled at the mention of the engagement. That, and the fact that I was there in the room when Willy said it. Willy must've noticed the color draining from Joe's face because, laughing, he said, "Relax. Daniel already knows."

"Knows?" Joe asked, surprised. "H-How did you—? Did Dana tell you?"

I shook my head, "Nope. Dana didn't let me in on that secret. Willy did."

"Y-Y-You—? But, why?"

"I don't see why not. With mom and dad gone..."

There was silence and a grimness in the air as it sank in to us again that Windsor and Graciella were gone.

"It's never going to be easy, is it?" Willy asked, directing the question at me.

"It will, but it's going to take time. A long, _long_ time." was my reply.

* * *

S'Loni was happy to see us safe and was thankful for our intervention, though she wasn't happy seeing us as messy as she had ever seen us. After all, with the girls taking over the baths, we didn't have time to take our turn with it. While they were already sparkly clean, Willy, Joe, and I were still...shall we say, in an un-presentable state.

S'Loni 'tsk'ed before she said, "That will not do, Daniel X. We cannot let you on-board the main flotilla with that much guck on you. That could poison our water."

I shrugged, it wasn't a big deal. I had been a lot more dirtier than I was then and it was a simple matter of clapping myself clean. I did just that. One clap and it was bye-bye dirty clothes. The smell, however, was something I couldn't do anything about.

The Azra leader expected me before giving an almost-satisfactory nod, "That will do." She then turned to Joe and Willy, waiting for them to do something about their state of muckiness. Unlike me, however, their powers do not allow them to instantly change their clothing or make themselves clean. When Azra saw that they weren't going to be able to do anything about it, she shook her head and sighed. From my peripheral vision, I noticed Emma and Dana's lips quirking into a smile.

"S'lavek, S'Ero, take William and Joe to the decontamination bay," S'Loni ordered two of the Azra guards that were standing behind her, near the doors that will lead us in the main flotilla's deck.

It was like all the air was deflated from Willy and Joe as they were escorted to another ship where the decontamination bay was at. The looks on their faces caused Emma and Dana to burst out laughing. Though it doesn't sound like a big deal, being dragged to the Azra's decontamination bay is bad...especially if you're a guy since, well, all Azras are female and the decontamination bay _requires_ you to be as naked as the day you were born. I did not envy them one bit.

"Justice is served, wouldn't you say so, Dana?" Emma asked.

Dana nodded, "Couldn't have asked for anything else."

I turned to them, shaking my head. I wanted to tell them how scary they could be but I decided not to say anything that might get me into trouble. Or, at least, more trouble than I was already in.

With Joe and Willy gone, S'Loni turned her attention back at us and said, "Well then, let's head inside. We have quite a long distance to travel to get to Azure."

"And quite a lot to talk about," I added, there were things, after all, that I wanted to know, questions I would like to ask.

The main flotilla's deck isn't like any deck I have ever been in. Heck, the whole ship isn't like any ship I've been in, and that includes our recent expedition in the Raihin. First of all, it was massive and in the shape of a giant ball. It's walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of hard membrane. Second, it was filled with water, Azras, after all, cannot live long outside their natural habitat. To help us breathe underwater, S'Loni handed us all pills that, once taken, would allow us to breathe underwater for as long as we were on the ship. It's a sort of nano-machine tech, one that had Joe curious—which was why he always wanted to come with Emma whenever S'Loni fetches her for training. Of course, S'Loni doesn't allow him to come with them. As much as possible, Azras only welcome women and they tend to steer away from men. There were exceptions to that rule and them asking for our help was one of those exceptions.

With the Azra pill, not only could we breathe underwater, we could also communicate with the other Azras and with each other without having to resurface...not that there was any place to resurface for air on the ship.

S'Loni led us past tubes and cylindrical passageways. Along the way, the other Azras who knew Emma waved and greeted her, some even giving her a hug and whispering condolences. That's another good thing about Azras, they take good care of their own—and that is exactly what Emma had become to them, one of their own. And, I guess, she wasn't the only one who they have accepted into their aquatic family as their kind gestures extended to us.

I could have asked my questions while we swam our way to wherever it was S'Loni was taking us—probably our cabin—but the look on S'Loni's face was one that demanded patience and it made me hold the questions back and the only conversation we had was of S'Loni asking how the ritual had been and asking how Emma was feeling, telling her that the Azras will always be there for their _Arkesh_. Emma assured her that she was "getting by" and that we—her _drang_—had been a big help. When asked about his brother, Emma told S'Loni how reckless Willy was turning out to be.

"We shall put him in his place then," S'Loni said as we turned around a bend, then swam past more tunnels that held glowing seaweed-looking things.

"Please do, S'Loni," Dana said, "before Daniel gives him any more reckless ideas...or vice-versa."

"Hey!" was all I could say before S'Loni cut me a depreciating glance. Once she gives you _that_ look, it was better to shut it. And shut it I did.

S'Loni didn't lead us to our cabin, rather, she brought us to hers, which was large and filled with corals of different colors. The same glowing seaweed-things that lined up the corridors and tunnels of the ship were also present on her room, illuminating everything around us. Strangely, it made me think that the room was a little bit _too_ girly for someone of S'Loni's status. You'd think her room would be filled with tactical maps and books, various weapons that her people use, and stuff like that...

In the room was a large bed made of various, colorful seashells that could have given _The Little Mermaid_'s bed a run for their money. Thin strands of pink-colored seaweed hang around the bed, acting like some sort of divider. Separating the bedroom from the rest of her cabin was a large coral that was shaped like a counter, near it, a table made of corals and a sofa set made of sea anemone...at, least, that's what it looked like to me. A console, which I supposed was meant for sending and receiving messages and orders sat beside the door that we just came through.

I whistled, impressed with the setup despite it being—as I have said—too girly.

"Please, sit down," S'Loni gestured to the anemone sofa set.

We sat down, glad for a chance to rest.

"Now, speak, Daniel X. I know you have quite a lot of questions bubbling up in that head of yours." S'Loni said once we were all seated.

"Just one, actually," I said, "What's your fleet doing here, so near to Alpar Nok? The coordinates you gave us, I thought that it was to get to Azure."

"That is an easy question to answer, Daniel X," she replied, "I was hoping for something challenging. The answer to that are the Raihins."

"The Raihins?" Dana asked.

S'Loni nodded, "We received word from our spies from the Outer Rims that The Prayer had engineered a squadron of creatures and that he had asked the Raihin's aid to attack Alpar Nok. Although we place your people on high regard, I believe they would have fallen without aid..."

"Why didn't you tell us that an attack was being planned on Alpar Nok?" Emma asked. Suddenly my one question had given birth to a whole lot more.

"Our leaders did not think it would be wise, not after what you have been through, my little Arkesh." S'Loni replied, carresing Emma's face. "I agreed with them. I did not want the ritual, nor you and your people, to be disturbed during such a time." She then turned to face Dana and myself, "It seems, however, that we did a poor job of holding the line as we ended up asking for your help in the end. I would have wanted to give all of you more time to grieve for the lost of Windsor and Graciella."

"There would be time to grieve later," I said, choosing my words carefully so as to not say anything that might hurt Emma and that I might regret later. "I doubt they would want us to waste our time instead of doing something to honor their memory."

"Daniel's right," Dana agreed, becoming comfortable sitting next to me. "I'm glad we could help you and your fleet, S'Loni."

S'Loni nodded, "There is more, however. It seems that The Prayer, having learned that we are helping you in your war against him, had seen it fit to rally the Aviantines. Our sources sent word of an impending attack on Azure."

"The Aviantines?" Emma was surprised. "Aren't they the sworn enemies of your people? I thought the Azras had driven them away, for good."

"You are correct, but we have left them unchecked for so long. I suppose it was only high time that they would attack us now," the Azra before us answered. "On behalf of our leaders, we would like to ask your help in driving them away for good."

"You don't have to ask us so formally like that, S'Loni," Emma said, "You know we'll help you and the Azras out. Right, Daniel?"

Emma was right. She didn't have to ask.

* * *

Willy and Joe joined us an hour later, wearing a different set of clothing than the one they had on before. It was their turn to cry out "Never again" when they slumped down on the sofa. If I had been in the mood, I would have asked them how the experience was but, as I wanted to survive longer, I steered clear from that. What we did talk about, upon their return, was about our new mission of helping the Azras with their upcoming battle against the Aviantines.

"Well, I'm game for anything as long as what we're doing would put a dent to whatever The Prayer is planning," Willy said, his head hanging on the headrest of the sofa, his eyes on the ceiling.

"I don't see what he would accomplish, other then diminishing our forces, by attacking the Azras and starting another war on Azure." Joe said with a frown. "I mean, we know he's on Terra Firma—on Earth—and that he has set his eyes on enslaving all of humanity. Why is he doing these things then?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "The Prayer's demented. He does what he wants to do because he doesn't think anyone can stop him. We're here to prove him wrong."

I should have given The Prayer more credit than that. But, at that time, we really had nothing to go on. All we knew was what I had known but didn't really understand: The Prayer's obsession with ruling over Earth.

* * *

It was night and the forest looked menacing under the moonless sky. The shadows stretched as far as the eye can see making everything look eerie. I couldn't see the leaves, but I could hear them scrapping against each other as the wind blew and howled. I felt lost, not sure what I was doing there or how I get there.

_Aren't I suppose to be on the S'Loni's ship?_ I couldn't help but wonder.

Yet, even as I found it odd that I ended up in a creepy forest at night, I still took step after step forward. To where? I wasn't really sure. All I knew was that I needed to go...there...wherever "there" was. So, I forged on. My feet crunching on the ground, creating noises that I was sure would drive the docile, nocturnal creatures away or would alert any predators about me being there. I know I should be worried, knew that I should make as little sound as possible, but I didn't.

I didn't feel afraid or worried. I felt lightheaded and I didn't even found that strange.

Having walked a good distance, the wind suddenly stopped blowing for a second, blanketing the whole forest in silence. I stopped walking and looked around. I knew something was wrong, knew it with such certainty but still I didn't feel fear. It was like I was expecting it. And then, the cold wind that had kept me company turned into a hot gust of wind. So hot, in fact, that I began to sweat. Before I knew it, everything around me was burning.

I whirled around, black smoke rising from the air. The fire spread so quickly, grew so fast, that I soon found myself hunkered on the forest floor to where the last vestiges of oxygen were. My eyes were watering from the smoke and the fire. And then I saw it not too far from me. A ship. It was familiar and I felt a tug at the pit of my stomach, a whisper at the depths of my mind that told me I needed to get there. And so, I crawled my way through, making sure I didn't get caught by the fire. There was nothing on my mind except getting there.

The moment I was within reach of the ship, it disappeared. And so did the raging fire. And I was left there in nothing but darkness.

I stood up, trying to see beyond the thick blackness that surrounded me. I was about to give up, about to think it was futile, when I heard his voice.

"It's been a while, Danny-boy,"

"Prayer," I hissed.

I heard something behind me, like the sound of a teleporter coming to life. I didn't need to look behind me to know that I was no longer alone, that The Prayer had come to face me. Where this was going to go, I didn't know, but I was prepared either way.

"Been well, I hope?" Though he asked, there wasn't a hint of compassion or actual interest in his voice. Though he asked, he didn't really care if I was well. I was willing to bet that he hoped I wasn't..._knew_ that I wasn't. "How long had it been since we last talked with each other?"

"Long enough," I replied, slowly turning around to face him. "Though we didn't have long to chat back then, what with how crowded it was."

"Ah, yes," there was a glint of remembrance and amusement in his eyes, "that was too bad. I would have taken time to speak with you but I figured you were curious as to what had become of your friends. Tell me, did it surprise you that they ended up the way they did? At least, when it came to that alternate future."

I shook my head and shrugged, "Not really. I was more surprised seeing them here, in our time, than seeing them become mercenaries under your control."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Khadagh had told me that he didn't know that Seth had the _drang_ so he left them. He already figured out the only path they could have followed was down that one." I sighed and shook my head again, "Still, it was sad to see them like that. Couldn't blame them, though..."

"Such big words from you, Daniel X," laughed The Prayer. He then walked, circling around me. The sound of his feet, skittering, as it hit the ground.

"What is it you really want, Prayer?" I was sure he didn't come here just to chat like that. "I don't believe you came here just to talk to me about that."

"You sure are perceptive, Daniel." He was making fun of me. "But, you are right. I was curious simply curious, did you like my little present?"

I raised an eyebrow. _Present? What present is he talking about? _

"The parents," The Prayer said, flourishing his claws nonchalantly. "Windsor and Graciella?"

It was as if a switch was suddenly turned on in my mind. Memories of what had happened returned. I was no longer disoriented.

I gritted my teeth, clenched my fist. My heart and eyes, everything about me, burned with anger. But I seethed silently, not willing to take the bait and just explode. It wouldn't do me any good, I knew where I was now...and I was _not _happy about it.

The Prayer grinned. "So you _did_ get it. I was worried it was sent to the wrong address."

"I knew you would come gloating eventually."

"You can't really blame me, can you, little Alien Hunter?" The Prayer asked, his spiked shoulder rising. "That is only the beginning, though. You can expect more...gifts...coming my way."

"No need to bother with the gifts, Prayer." He really don't have to. I don't want any more "gifts" like that. "I know I won't like any of them."

He laughed. The kind of laughter that was verging on maniacal.

"You can be sure with that. The best is yet to come. Worlds will fall because of you. Lives will be lost because of you." There was menace in his voice and I knew that he wasn't bluffing, that he wasn't lying. "You can try to fight, and I know you will, but it would not work. In the end I will win, and your _drang_" he spit the word like it left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. "will bleed and will die. Only then will I kill _you_."

I could have shouted something back, said something, told him to buzz off. But I wasn't given the chance, I was thrown out of the dream...thrown out of the nightmare...with The Prayer's words ringing in my ears.

I didn't believe I can just shake the words away.


	7. Deep Blue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Six**

**Deep Blue**

* * *

The Azras gathered around us on the huge domed stadium that was made entirely of some form of glass. It made me feel like I was in an aquarium filled with blue, humanoid-shaped people and the feeling worsen because we were hiding on the large beams that supported the ceiling. There was a hum of murmur in the air and the whole stadium had this electrifying energy with it you'd though we were waiting for a concert to begin or for a match of gladiatorial proportions. Neither was the case, what we were all waiting for were the three council members that made up the leadership of Azra.

We had been in Azra for a week and, although it made us (with the exception of Emma) feel a bit sick of water and of having to swim to get to one place then another, it also made us see how dire their situation really was. Even their young had taken up arms against the impending Aviantine attack. It was kind of strange seeing these blue-scaled women of all ages carrying javelins, guns, electro-magnetic tridents, and all sorts of weapons that only they could use (and believe me that statement is true, even Willy whose supposed to be able to use any and all kinds of weapons can't wield their weapons. It was a mystery to him why he couldn't do so).

Though some of the Azras that were close enough for us to hear spoke in their native tongue, which was almost like listening to a seal and a blender, there were some who could speak in the "universal tongue"—English. There were various ideas on why a grand assembly was suddenly called and, I suppose, that was what the other Azras were talking about regardless if they were speaking in English or if they were speaking Azran.

"Maybe they had finally come up with a genocide plan for the Aviantines," one Azran said.

"Perhaps it has nothing to do with the Aviantines," another one quipped.

"I do not understand why the Aviantines would wage war on us again, we defeated them before and we will do so again. Besides, it's not like they can inhabit our world. Those foul, winged bastards just want to ruin our lives!" an Azran farther in the crowd bellowed.

There were a lot more discussions about what that whole gathering was about, but mostly they revolved under the same topic: the Aviantines. Though I may know a thing or two about them, I really didn't know what sparked the animosity between the two alien races. Even The List was pretty vague on that and Joe doesn't want to take out his Symbiote for us to use.

We waited for a while, none of us in the mood to talk nor was it safe for us to talk. As we were waiting, I was faced with a strange feeling that whatever the council was going to say, it was going to be something big—for the Azran civilization, at least.

The sound of a horn, like a giant conch shell was blown, erupted, silencing the crowd and snapping all of us from our reverie. A second later, everyone had their attention on the stage in the middle of the stadium where a lone podium stood. Another second later, the three council members arrived, swimming their way to the middle of the assemblage. Unlike the other Azrans, these councilors had different colored scales. One of them, the one that was at the left flank had a red, almost crimson, scale with black spotted patterns. The one in the middle had moss green-colored scales. And, the one flanking the right had silvery-colored scales that glinted when light touches her. They wore the same kind of wet suit as the other Azrans but, where the others were made for battle, theirs looked regal...well, as far as wet suits were concerned. They wore no armor. Instead, they wore robes over their wet suits and those robes were red in color with a sash of white draped sideways.

The way the council members swam showed off how well they do so and how important they seem to feel about themselves. I couldn't help but cross my arms. _Were they liking the attention? Basking in it and in the anticipation that they know the crowd's already feeling, waiting for what they have to say? If it's so important, why the need for all of this?_

I didn't have answers to my question, though and I knew voicing that out would get us into trouble, and would probably get S'Loni in trouble as well. After all, we weren't really invited in on this assembly. This was supposed to be an "Azran-only" event. But, S'Loni didn't think it would be a bad idea to smuggle us in and that was why we were sitting on the large beam so high and far from the Azras...though that doesn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't see us or their security won't be able to get to us when they do see us and decide to throw us out of the stadium.

it was dead quiet when one of the council members—the crimson one—started the gathering off with what, I guess, is a ritualistic prayer...or chant.

"To the gods of the indestructible Azure whose waves push us to forth to our destinies," the crimson council member started.

In reply, the hundreds—if not, thousands—of Azure, in reply, said, "Guide us to the sea of infinite spirits."

I had no idea what that prayer—if that was, indeed, one—was about. I made a mental note to ask S'Loni or Emma later about it, when we could actually talk without fear of being heard and, therefore, caught.

After that, the red Azra spoke something in Azran, her hand waved to where the silver Azra was. The silver Azran swam to the podium while the red one joined the moss green Azran. It wasn't hard to figure out that the Azran who would be giving some form of news to the rest of the Azran populace was going to be the silver one.

One thing that S'Loni should have guessed when she decided to smuggle us in was how useless it was going to be if we ended up not understanding what the Azras were saying. And, well, that was what exactly happened as the silver Azran council member spoke in the same way that the red one did: in their mother tongue.

I was frustrated not being able to understand a word the silver Azra was saying and, judging from the hushed groans that escaped my _drang_'s mouths, they felt the same way I did. The only one who didn't seem to mind and who looked as if she was concentrating hard, was Emma. She shushed us as she edge further out of the beam, intent on catching every word that the silver one said.

I looked over at Dana who sat closely to me and asked, in a whisper that I was certain the Azras would not be able to hear, "Can she understand Azran?"

She shrugged, although, judging from the look of understanding that passed on her face, it wasn't hard to figure out the answer to my own question. I was surprised, of course, she never mentioned that she could do something like that.

On and on the silver Azra droned. Her voice rose on several occasions as he made her speech, as if she was rallying some sort of effort to be done. Once or twice she even threw her fist up and the other Azras who were listening to her mimicked her actions and made a loud cheer.

I wanted to ask Emma what was being said, but even if she could speak to us about it, her voice would have been drowned out by the rising voices of the spectators.

The silver Azra paused, letting the crowd settle down. I watched as she gazed at them, her head moving from left to right. The cheers and shouts slowly subsided to low murmurs of agreement before it finally died down and the Azra standing before the podium spoke again. All ears were on her as she spoke in their garbled speech.

I heard my name and the word '_drang_' as well as Alpar Nok, but I wasn't sure what was being said. I also heard mention of The Prayer, the context of whatever the Azra was saying was also lost on me.

I looked over at Emma, just as Willy, Joe and Dana did. The look of concentration on her face was no longer there, instead it was replaced with a look of shock, her mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide. Whatever was said, even Emma wasn't expecting it.

"What's wrong?" Willy asked able to voice out the same question we have on our lips as he was sitting next to his sister.

"This is...This is bad," Emma managed to say, just barely loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Bad? Bad how? What is, Emma?" It was Joe who asked, though he forgot to lower his voice and Dana and I both had to shush him and remind him not to talk so loud.

"We should probably get out of here," Emma said, standing up and holding on to a piece of the metal beam. The silver Azra said something else and the crowd seemed to agree with whatever it was that was said. Once she had translated what the line was, Emma added, "Yeah, we really should get out of here. Find S'Loni if we can."

"Why?" Dana asked, standing up as well and swimming to where Emma was standing, ready to bolt. I followed Dana and halted right beside her. Joe and Willy followed suit.

"I'll explain, though I don't really have much in way of explanation, as soon as we get out of here." Emma said. After that, she swam out of the stadium, using the same hole in the dome that allowed us entrance.

We looked at each other, not really sure what just happened. The crowd was starting to get restless, chaotic. We knew it wouldn't do us any good to stay behind and so we followed Emma out. Emma swam as fast as she could and we had to keep up with her. No matter how many times Willy or Joe, or even Dana, asked her what was going on, why she looked frightened, Emma wouldn't answer them save for telling us that to just swim. So, that's what we did. We just kept on swimming, Emma leading us to S'Loni's house...

S'Loni's house, like all the other houses in Azure, was inside a cave. The same furniture that was on her room inside her ship was also available in her cave. Truth be told, it was more like a replica of the room rather than a full house and S'Loni didn't seem to mind.

"Alright, we're here, now spill it out Emma, what's up? Why did you want to bolt out of there like that?" I asked, I didn't want to wait a moment longer for her to explain what it was she managed to get from the silver Azra.

"I don't understand what's happening behind the scenes," Emma replied, and before we could call her in on her obvious lie, she added, "I _understood_ what the Azra, S'Trovi, said but I don't know _why_ he said it. Which was why I told you guys we should look for S'Loni."

"Alright then, so you don't understand what led up to it, but can you at least tell us why you told us to run...err, swim away?" Joe asked, his arms were already crossed.

Emma took a good look at us before she said, "The Azras are going to make a deal."

"A deal?" Willy asked, raising an eyebrow. "With whom?"

"The Prayer." was Emma's curt reply.

* * *

The deal, we later learned from S'Loni who was figuratively burning red with anger and embarrassment at what the council had done, was that Azure would be spared from war provided the Azras hand us over and break ties with what The Prayer had called "The Rebellion". S'Loni was pretty ranting as she told us what she knew, what she was told—which wasn't much. After all, they knew that she was Emma's mentor and that made her sympathetic to our cause.

"I cannot believe how the council would agree with The Prayer's demands," S'Loni had said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "Do they not see that The Prayer will not follow through with their promise? Do they not realize that what The Prayer is asking is for us to abandon our little _arkesh _and her friends? The Prayer will easily flay us as soon as we give in to their demands." S'Loni took a deep breath before she went on, "Besides, you have all shown us that you are, indeed, good friends, great allies, of ours after you saved my fleet. The Azras do not simply hand over heroes of our kind like that!"

"Maybe there's more to it than that," Dana suggested, she was biting her nails, a nervous habit I didn't know she has.

"Perhaps, S'Trovi had never been a fan of your people. She had been against bringing Emma here to be trained since the beginning." S'Loni muttered, still pacing around her cave. "Still, I am loathed to admit that I may have placed all of your lives in danger. Azure is no longer a safe haven for you and your _drang_, Daniel X. In asking for help in this war, I believe I may have, instead, placed you in deeper danger than if there were a war."

"That can't be helped and we can't stay here for much longer, S'Loni." I said, shaking my head. Even though it really can't be helped, I couldn't keep the feeling of disgust from filling my heart. I could still hear the thunderous agreement of the crowd—their agreement to have us shipped to The Prayer without a moment's thought.

"Yes, I agree. We have to get out of here before S'Trovi and her people storm in my house."

"We?" Emma asked, there was a hopeful note in the way she asked. "You mean, you're going to come with us?"

S'Loni nodded, "Of course, I am going to come with you. You are my _arkesh_. Your training is yet to be complete and I am also a friend. What The Prayer had done to smear the name of the council and make them think that way cannot be left unpunished. I will make sure that he rues the day he had come up with such an underhanded tactic. My fleet will also be with you, they know what it was you had done for our sake."

That was great news. An Azran fleet was much better than no fleet at all.

"I cannot smuggle you out of Azure, however," added S'Loni. "The other Azras supporting S'Trovi will be sure to check my fleet."

"No need to worry," I said, giving S'Loni a smile and pounding my left fist to my right palm. "Leave that to me."

* * *

It wasn't hard "finding" a ship we could use. What was a bit harder was making sure no one found us suspicious as we tried to "blend in" with the crowd of Azras that have suddenly pooled out of the stadium. All of them had the look of determination in their eyes it was like they all agree with the decree of giving us up in exchange for "peace". Apart from S'Loni and her crew, we were out of friends in Azure.

We tried to mimic the way the Azras moved as we went to where S'Loni had agreed to meet with us—something we agreed to do before we left. They didn't look at us twice, not while Dana and I were working together to conceal our presence behind an illusion that showed them we were Azras as well. Even so, we were all worried that we would be found out, after all, an illusion can only conceal our true forms but not our movements.

The walk from S'Loni's house to the shipyard was a lot longer than anyone can think possible for a five-minute walk to be. It felt like an eternity before we got there and all of us exhaled a sigh of relief when we saw that no one, apart from S'Loni, was there. Even though no one else was around, one look at my _drang_ told me that they would appreciate it if I didn't drop the illusion. I nodded, I felt the same way they did. We needed to be cautious.

"I trust you guys made it here without any problems?" S'Loni asked, her voice hushed, her words quick.

I nodded, "It seems they really have made a decision about us."

"They are _pashena_! Idiots!" Hissed S'Loni, "The fleet is ready to depart, but we cannot be seen going in the same direction as you. The most we can do is to try and make them think we are leaving because all of you are onboard my ship."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Emma asked, she didn't bother to hide the worry that she was feeling. "Wouldn't you and your fleet get in trouble for helping us?"

"No, they won't. They will find that their suspicions of you boarding our ships were unfounded. Sure, they will be angry, but they will be none-the-wiser as to where you five are." S'Loni replied, there was tenderness and assurance in the way she spoke. "They will leave us with nothing but questions as to where you people could possibly be. Once we're clear, I'll send word for you all to meet with us. If, within weeks you do not hear from me, do not try to find us. That would only mean that we are not yet clear from their suspicions."

I gave S'Loni another nod.

Joe then instructed S'Loni, saying, "Have the messages encrypted in the highest form of encryption you can manage. Put something in the encryption that only we can take notice of and I'll easily be able to decrypt it. That way, we won't risk our communications being...tampered with and we don't have to worry about them falling into the wrong hands."

It was S'Loni's turn to nod her head.

Silence then filled the shipyard as she looked from one of us to another, her eyes resting longer on Emma. She then took a step backward, giving me room to create an Azran ship which I had learned how to build from the memory of the ship plans S'Loni had in her house. With the ship made and with us ready to board and depart, there wasn't any reason to linger much longer. Saying our goodbyes to S'Loni, we boarded the ship, waited for her to board her own and for her fleet to fly, before we made our escape from the deep blue planet of Azure.


	8. Course of Action

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but

Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Seven**

**Course of Action**

* * *

"What now?"

It was Willy who asked that question, a couple of hours after we had made our clean getaway. I had, as soon as we were a good distance away from Azure, reformed the ship into a different one to avoid suspicion from other ships that we might find in space. It would be harder to explain _why_ an Azran ship was out of here, in the middle of nowhere, after all. We were all in the biggest room in the entire ship, which we decided was going to be our "strategy room". It had a giant, holographic monitor in the far corner and a large, metallic table in the middle which was surrounded by dozens of chairs made with the same material. There were also computers lining up the wall—courtesy of Joe—and a giant, holographic image the universe floating in the middle of the table.

Willy's question was a good one and I had no answers for it. What were we supposed to do? Trying to help the Azras in order to get help in return didn't turn out as such a good idea, The Prayer managed to beat us to it. Not only did we lose a possible good source of information, we also lost any hope of getting them to help us. They were, with the exception of S'Loni's fleet, now working for The Prayer.

"Do you guys think it would be a good idea to go back to Terra Firma or Alpar Nok?" Emma asked from where she was sitting behind Joe. "Do you think it would be safe to do that, Daniel?"

I looked up at the ceiling, unlike the rest of my _drang_, I decided to just stay standing, leaning on the metallic walls near the strategy room's door. After a while, I answered, "I don't know. I'm afraid to think that The Prayer might guess that those would be our next moves and beat us to it. If we try to go there, The Prayer might do something to make sure that we don't get the help we want and need and that would mean attacking Alpar Nok or would wait in ambush on Earth. It's too risky. For them and for us."

"So, what then?" Joe asked as he called upon a map of the Horseshoe Nebula where Alpar Nok was. The map of the universe sputtered out of existence, replaced by the map of the said star cluster. "At the moment, this is what the surrounding of Alpar Nok looks like. There's no sign of The Prayer's forces, then again, we can't really be sure that The Prayer wouldn't decide to destroy our planet once and for all."

"Either way," Dana said as she stared at the hologram of Alpar Nok and its surrounding planets. "Every Alparian in Alpar Nok and in the universe will be hunted down. You know that, don't you, Daniel?"

I did know that. I nodded and silence filled the room. I couldn't help but notice how quickly we lapse into silence now-a-days. I hated those moments and I hated it more then, when I suddenly remembered that nightmare. The nightmare with The Prayer. The one I had recently.

I still haven't told anyone about it. I haven't told anyone much lately, not even Dana. I couldn't tell any of them how helpless I felt and how scared it made me feel to think that The Prayer could make do with his threat—which I know, without a doubt, he could. There had been so many instances where he had made sure to let me know that he wouldn't kill me easily. He would make me suffer first, take everything away from me until I ended up begging him to get it over with and kill me; until death is the only escape I have, the only form of salvation.

I was stirred away from my dark thoughts when Dana nudged me, I almost jumped in surprise but managed to simply and calmly give her a questioning look.

"You must really have something big occupying your mind," she said, a teasing note to her voice.

"Huh? What?"

She looked at me like I had just asked her something funny. It was then that I noticed we were the only ones left in the room.

"Where did—?" I began to ask, but she didn't wait for me to finish my question.

Immediately, she answered, "We figured we were all tired after what happened today and with how our bodies had to cope with living underwater for such a long time. We all need some rest, Daniel. And, I guess, you need quite a lot of it with the way you just spaced out like that." She frowned, then added, "Is there something wrong?"

I couldn't help but give a half-hearted chuckle at her question, "That's not a very good question to ask under these circumstances, Dana. Everything's...wrong. Nothing's gone right ever since Windsor and Graciella—"

I trailed off. I can't finish that sentence yet. Can't voice it out loud, especially not since The Prayer pinned the blame on me.

Dana sighed as she leaned on the wall next to me, our shoulders touching. "I know what you mean. All of us never really had the time to grieve but, you said it yourself before, we can grieve later when all of this is done. Willy and Emma, they're both coping. I think they won't appreciate it if they realize that you're beating yourself up over their parents' death."

I looked at Dana, not knowing what to say.

She quirked an eyebrow and asked, her playful tone returning amidst the somber mood, "What? You didn't think I wouldn't notice or even come to that realization that you're blaming yourself, do you?" Her hand moved to touch my face as she said, "I know you the same way you know me, Daniel. That's why I also know that you're keeping _something _from us." I was about to argue when she placed a finger over my lips to shut me up. "I'm not going to force or even demand that you share whatever that is to me...even though I think it's stupid of you to try to carry whatever that burden is alone. What I am saying is that I'm going to give you time. I'm going to wait until you're ready to talk to us. Okay?"

I nodded and smiled at her or, at least, I tried to give one. "I'm...sorry, Dana. Thanks."

She nodded and gave me a quick kiss before she left the room as well.

I sighed and closed my eyes. My _drang_ was being lenient with me.

* * *

I was standing, dazed. I couldn't remember what it was that I was thinking about but I knew I was thinking about _something_.

The wind whipped my hair into a frenzy, blowing it on all sorts of directions, ruffling my shirt. It was a nice, cool wind and I breathe a sigh of contentment without even knowing what it was I was content of. It was strange but I felt...at home...or as relatively at home someone like me could possibly feel like.

The way I probably looked, I wouldn't be surprise for someone to think that I looked as though I was high or something. But, like everything else, that didn't seem to bother me.

Just when I was really starting to enjoy the peace—if it was that—that I was feeling, a ball suddenly came careening towards me, hitting me square on my forehead. I wasn't prepared for such an impact, much less for such a thing to happen, and so the force of the ball knocked me clean off of my feet and I landed with a loud thud on the grassy ground. The bruise on my forehead throbbed and I was sure there was a massive lump waiting to surface. It wasn't just my forehead that hurt, though. Even the back of my head, which landed on the grass, hurt.

I groaned as I tried to sit up, curious as to who threw the ball at me.

I heard footfalls as I rubbed the back of my head, and before I could turn around to see who it was that was coming my way—guessing it to be the owner of the ball and my assailant—that person spoke, "You should have been able to evade that, kiddo."

I froze. The pain I felt momentarily forgotten.

Slowly, I turned to face my him—my dad.

"It's been a while, son," he said as a greeting, a smile on his face—the same smile he always had when he came home from his "work". It was the smile reserved for only me and my mom.

I know I shouldn't feel surprised with our sudden meeting, even if that meeting was in my dreams. My dad, Graff, always invade my dreams when I needed help and guidance the most and when there was no one there to give them to me. But, ever since I was reunited with Dana and the others, my dad, my mom, and even my little sister hadn't visited me without warning. Even when I call them into existence, they don't stay that long any more. It's like they were drifting farther and farther away from me the more I regained the closeness I once had with my _drang_. Sometimes, I wonder if it wasn't them that was drifting away from me, but if I was the one drifting away from them.

"Dad," I croaked. I stay rooted at the spot, not sure if I should run to him or just stay put. The son in me wanted to run to my father and throw my arms around him, like I was a kid again. The Alien Hunter in me told me to act like one would in the face of someone of a higher authority.

My dad pointed at the ball, which had landed close to me after it had hit my head, and said, "Why don't you pick that up and come play with me...for old time's sake."

I nodded and I fumbled for the ball and stood shakily, my mouth barely hanging open as I followed my dad who had begun walking back to the direction from where he had come from. The more I walked with my father, the more my head seemed to clear up and the more my legs and my feet moved faster until I was no longer walking behind him but side-by-side with him.

He then gestured at my head and said, "Sorry about that. I hope it doesn't hurt that much."

I shook my head. It no longer hurt at all, and I told him just that. Once more he reiterated how he thought—how he was _certain—_I was going to be able to duck.

"Sorry, dad," I found myself saying, "I guess I was just...out of it."

He nodded like he understood and it wasn't very hard to think that he did. He always did understood.

After a while we arrived at a playing field. There wasn't anyone around and the goal posts on either side of the field felt empty and sad. It made me wonder why my dad brought me there...

"You're stalling," my dad suddenly said, surprising me. His voice told me he was in his "mentoring mode", his Alien Hunter mode.

"W-What?" was my typical response. _Where did the sudden change come from? _ I couldn't help but wonder.

"The Prayer is making his move and you're stalling, Daniel. I expected you to know better than to let The Prayer have the upper hand." my dad was lecturing me, his eyes burned with the passion that one would find from someone who actually knows what he was talking about. Figment of my memory or not, my dad did knew a lot of things and had a way of letting people know just that.

"That's easy for you to say, dad," I shook my head as I spoke. "Things are...different now."

"Things are always different. Nothing stays the same, Daniel, but that doesn't mean you have to stop going. So what if the Azras abandoned their promise to help you? So what if The Prayer is amassing a bigger force than you initially thought? So what if Windsor and Graciella are gone?" he asked me those things, his words flying out like a wild bullet slicing through the air. "The Prayer hasn't won yet, and as long as you and your _drang_ are still alive and are willing to fight; so long as there would be another Alparian—another Alien Hunter—willing to rise up to the occasion and fight, then there will always be a chance for a turnaround. You should know that better than anyone, Daniel. You have, after all, managed to make miracles out of nothing."

"You don't get it, dad. We have nothing! No leads, no plans, no way to defeat The Prayer!" I argued, though I kept all the other fears I have bottled up inside me along with The Prayer's threat, I did decide to share some of them with him to let him know just what kind of monster I was up against.

"There is always a way, Daniel." He said, his voice softening. "If there wasn't, I wouldn't have placed your life at risk. I wouldn't have hoped to fool The Prayer the way I did knowing what kind of consequence that would bring in my family. You might not see anything beyond this darkness, son, but you have to believe that as long as someone is willing to take up the mantle, hope will always stay alive in the universe."

He then paused, cocked himself to the side as if he heard someone calling him. A faraway look entered his eyes for a second before he turned his attention back at me and said, "Time's up. Before you wake up, though...remember what I told you. You are the Alparian's last hope—you and your _drang_. Don't let our race die out, kiddo."

And then, in a blink of an eye, he was gone and I woke up with my pillow wet with tears I didn't know I was shedding.

* * *

I didn't get nothing from my dad's sudden visit in my dreams. His words echoed in my head even as I woke up, just like The Prayer's words bounced around my mind. I knew then what we had to do. My dad was right, before anything else, we were the last hope of our race. The Alparians needed us and they needed to survive if we had any hopes of rebuilding what the Alparian Alien Hunters had been before Ergent Seth, before The Prayer.

My father was right when he made it known to me that The Prayer does intend to finish off our race. Not to brag or anything, but we are a pretty powerful race of Alien Hunters after all...so long as we were properly trained and so long as we remember who we are. I knew then that even though we were all fighting in hopes to be able to defeat The Prayer, there was still going to be that chance when we are the ones defeated and without anyone else to take up the mantle of the fight, the universe will ultimately and forever be lost to The Prayer.

We weren't the only ones who needed the Alparians to regain the strength and dignity they lost. The whole universe does. And so, when Dana asked me, hours later, what our course of action was, I told them to plot our course to Alpar Nok. We were going to evacuate our planet and hide our people from The Prayer and his forces.


	9. Divide and Conquer, Part One

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So, it's a little bit disheartening not getting any reviews on this fanfic. But, I suppose that could be because there really isn't that many fans compared to the bigger series out there. Anyways, I apologize for the delay. Had a couple of things I needed to do with regards to the marketing of my book (among other things).

Well, anyway, that's that. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Eight**

**Divide and Conquer, Part One**

* * *

Ever since Khadagh gave me his "gift", I had tried to seek knowledge from him on several occasions. Sometimes, meditation works and I get the help I need, other times I just end up wasting so much time that I get frustrated and wonder what I even hoped to accomplish in trying to "communicate" with Khadagh's memories and knowledge. I tried meditating again, after such a long time, during the time when we were en route to Alpar Nok. I didn't really know what I was searching for, but whatever it was, it eluded me. I was such in a bad mood after that.

Even though we did agree and come up with a course of action in going back to Alpar Nok and starting a mass exodus of our people in hopes of keeping them safe and out of The Prayer's hands, we still weren't sure how we were supposed to make that happen. There were so many things left to do, like finding out a suitable and relatively safe planet for our people to live and hide in while The Prayer still lives wreaking havoc in the universe, and we were running out of time to come up with something—or anything, really.

I stared at the hologram of the galaxy floating before me. I couldn't help thinking that maybe if I stared hard enough, something would just click in my mind and I would find the answer I am looking for. But, hard as I might stare, nothing came. I wasn't the only one trying to find a planet for our people, Joe was also there, helping me. Willy was keeping an eye out at the ship's helm, making sure that we were quickly notified should anything seem out of the ordinary. As for Emma and Dana, I wasn't sure where both girls were...They were probably somewhere doing "girl stuff" or something.

"How can finding _one_ planet be this hard?" I groaned as I let myself slide to the chair behind me. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and huffed, "You'd think with the thousands of planets available, we would have found one by now."

"Taking everything into consideration, Daniel, we can't just pick a planet randomly, it has to have a certain set of...standards." Joe reminded me as his hands quickly flew around the keyboard, his eyes moved around, reading the text quickly being displayed so fast it matched the speed the texts were appearing. I shook my head, I could never get used to how he does that.

"I _know_ that, Joe." I sighed. Oxygen levels, humidity, weather conditions...I could go on and on naming all the factors that we have to take into consideration. "But we _are_ running out of time, we're nearing Alpar Nok. We can't just arrive there and ask them to leave Alpar Nok without so much as giving them a plan and more information than just saying The Prayer plans to attack the planet. Blaleen won't agree with leaving if we just tell her that."

"And you're certain you don't want to tranquilize everyone and just take them if they choose to stay?"

I looked incredulously at Joe, we've been through such a discussion before. And, like before, I pointed out, "That's basically kidnapping."

"Hey, it's still for their own good," Joe shrugged, like it wasn't such a big deal.

I snorted, "Tell that to them when they wake up on foreign land and realize what you've done. No. No tranquilizers or anything that would make us look like we're taking their choice away from them. That's almost like what Ergent Seth did with you guys, you know."

Joe nodded, though he didn't say anything after that and we ended up working in silence again. I didn't know how long we were working when the silence of the room (save for the beeping sounds emanating from the dozens of computers that Joe was using) was shattered by the ship's PA system and Willy's voice.

"Yo, Danny, Dana wants you to meet her in the dining room." Willy said, his tone was one of boredom. "She said it was something important."

_Something important?_ I couldn't help but wonder as I muttered to myself, "If it's something important, why doesn't she just come here and tell me?"

I looked at Joe who was looking at me and all I could ask with that weird expression on his face was, "What?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if you made her mad again or something." Joe shrugged.

"Why would that even be your first reaction?" I asked.

"Well, like you said, if it was important, she would have gone straight here or contacted you directly instead of having Willy inform you."

Joe had a point and as I left the strategy room, I began to wonder if I did something wrong and if Dana really was mad at me for something.

* * *

I walked tentatively, unsure of a lot of things.

You know that feeling when someone tells you "We have to talk?" and all of a sudden every, single thing that you have done in your life suddenly plays at the back of your mind as you searched for something—a reason—and all you can think about is everything you have done wrong? That's what I felt then as I entered the dining room and saw Dana, her back to me, standing in front of the kitchen's counter with her arms crossed. As far as I could remember, though, I didn't do anything that would make her furious with me. Even so, I couldn't stop myself from worrying. It was crazy!

It seemed that Dana was deep in thought, however, since she didn't notice me when the doors opened or when it hissed close and that made me worry even more. Not wanting to prolong my own suffering, however, I cleared my throat to let her know that she was no longer alone as I greeted her and said, "Willy said you wanted to see me." The way I spoke made it seem like I was asking rather than stating something.

I didn't expect Dana to be startled, but she was.

"Oh, Daniel, I didn't hear you come in," she said.

I raised my eyebrow, "Really? Because that door is anything _but_ quiet."

Dana laughed and she turned around once again so that she was facing the kitchen counter, "Yeah, well, I guess I was just so deep in thought that I didn't hear. I didn't expect you to come here so soon, though. I thought you were going to take a while."

I walked towards her, wondering what it was that she was looking at, "How can I not rush here when Willy decided to make it sound like I'm in trouble with you." I paused just behind her, putting my arms around her waist, "So, what is it that is so important that you would drag me out of the strategy room to meet you here...in the dining room?"

"This," Dana said showing me a very familiar artifact, one that was given to us by Leo, a half-beast, half-human alien—one of the Lost Children. It was the amulet, the one he said would be useful to us...though it has yet to prove that.

I took the amulet from her, releasing her and leaning on the counter next to her. I gave Dana a questioning look, "Why are you showing me this? Did you figure what we could use it for?"

She turned and mimicked my posture, leaning on the counter as well, as she answered, "You can say that. I, sort of, had an idea."

"Oh?" I waited for her to expound her answer.

"I think it doesn't actually do _anything_, like turn into a weapon or open some hidden portal to somewhere where we can summon a massive army or something huge like that. Remember what Leo said? That we can use this to prove our friendship with the Lost Children?" I nodded, I do vaguely recall that. "We can't go back to that planet using your time traveling skills but I think we can use it here, in our own timeline, to get help from them."

"I doubt they would fight with us, Dana," I said, "And I don't think I would want them to. Sure they can be powerful allies an all, what with how they managed to hell Khadagh escape but it doesn't feel right to ask other kids to help us fight against The Prayer and hope that they would be willing to die for such a cause."

"I know that, Daniel, and I am not saying we should use this to ask them to," Dana said, placing a hand on my arm as if to reassure me that that wasn't the plan she had in mind. "You still remember the coordinates I told you, right? The one Khadagh gave me to get to their planet?"

I laughed, tapping my head as I replied, "Of course, that sort of got ingrained in my brain when his consciousness and mine melded." She smiled sheepishly as if she had forgotten about that. I wasn't sure if that was the case, so I just asked, "Why? Do you plan to visit that place again?"

"Something like that," Dana said as she took the amulet from me and began playing with it. "I was thinking that, considering how secluded that planet was and how The Prayer doesn't seem to know anything about it—"

Suddenly I understand where Dana was going with that trail of thought, and I ended up finishing her sentence for her, "—we can ask them to let the Alparians hide away with them until The Prayer is dealt with."

She nodded, not the least bit annoyed that I cut her off. It was a great idea and I couldn't help but wonder how I couldn't have thought of it before. Just as I was about to tell her that, something nudge at the back of my mind and flashes of images burned itself on my cranium. I winced as I am flooded by one of Khadagh's many memories. Dana noticed it and was quick to ask me if I was alright, I gave her a little nod, though I couldn't say anything for fear of throwing up. She knew what was happening, it wasn't the first time it happened, after all so she just waited it out like I did.

The images stopped coming and I was able to finally breathe a sigh of relief and open my eyes without having the urge to throw up. Before that happened, I had thought that Dana's idea was fool-proof, it turned out I was wrong.

"We can't ask for their help, not yet." I told her.

"Why? What did Khadagh's memories show you?" She didn't look deterred by what I said or flustered that I found something "wrong" with the idea.

"The Lost Children," I said, feeling a little bit winded. "don't you remember? They said Khadagh saved them. That was why they owed him a lot, that was why Leo and the others were willing to help break him out even if that placed their lives in jeopardy. It seems that Khadagh ran across a smuggling trade—one of the many smuggling rings that The Prayer runs—and he helped The Lost Children escape from them, after that he helped them make the planet safe for the beastmen children to live in. I haven't done any of that in our time line."

"Which means the Lost Children are either not yet captured or still being held prisoner and are about to be smuggled as slaves," it was Dana's turn to finish what I was about to say. "And that also means that that planet is still uninhabitable."

I nodded.

"Well, there goes _that_ idea," Dana sighed. "And I really thought it was a good one."

"It was—still is, actually." I told her as I took her in my arms. "I mean, that planet is the only place that seems like a good idea to hide the other Alparians. The Prayer won't be able to find them there."

"But the Lost Children—"

"That's the complication, and that's all it is—a complication. We can't _not_ do anything to help them if we want to be able to use that planet, that much is certain from Khadagh's memories, which only leaves us one option if we do intend to go with your plan, and, Dana, that's what I intend to do—go along with your plan, I mean." I said, resting my chin on her shoulder as I kept hugging her from behind.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're going to mount a rescue mission?" She asked, cocking her head to the side so that she was looking at me.

I grinned, "You really do know me so well, Dana. That's precisely what I have in mind."

She shook her head, breaking free from my hold and turning around to face me, "What about our people? If we delay we might not get to them in time."

"We will if we split up," I told her. "I'll take Emma and we'll go rescue the beastmen while you go with Willy and Joe and make sure that Alpar Nok is evacuated, that way we wouldn't be wasting time going from one end of the galaxy to another."

Dana frowned, I knew she was going to be against the idea even before she opened her mouth to protest.

"Absolutely not, Daniel X." She almost shouted at me, making me cringe. It had been a long time since I was being shouted at by Dana.

"We don't really have much choice about it. We can't abandon one for the other. I can't explain it very well, but I have a feeling that we'll need to be able to rescue both our people and the Lost Children." I told her as calmly as I could. "I'm pretty sure the others will agree with me on this. After all, we're running out of allies and even recruits against this war."

"I get that but the last time we decided to split up things went to hell, and fast." She didn't need to remind me of that. I can still remember how badly wounded she ended up being and how close to death I ended up while we were on Undinogh's ship. She crossed her arms, then asked, "Besides, why are you bringing Emma along and not me?"

I grinned.

"Is that what you're really angry about?" I asked her playfully, putting my arms around her waist again and pulling her close so that our nose were almost touching. "You're _jealous_ that I'm bringing Emma and not you?"

I laughed at that and she punched me. It wasn't a playful nor a soft punch on the shoulder.

"I'm not." She huffed. "I'm just—"

I decided not to listen to whatever excuse she might have come up with, deciding to tease her instead as I said, "Why on earth would you be _jealous_? You do realize that if I even look at her wrong I would not only have you after me with a machete or an axe, but I would also be running for my life from Willy and Joe."

"I probably won't use a machete or an axe. I could just use my powers, you know."

I gave her a mock horrified look and her mouth twitched as she tried to keep herself from smiling. "Now I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive even an hour if that were to happen."

"We could torture you," she said, as if giving it a thought.

"You're serious, aren't you?" I asked, squinting at her. I was pretty sure that was a threat. Shaking the thought of threats and the image of Dana, Willy, and Joe coming at me, I said, "Emma's a pretty logical choice. She will be able to help me while we're inside the smuggler's ship and she'll be able to act as a sensor while we're in the planet making sure to drive off anything that might make it dangerous for the beastment and our people to live there. You will be more useful with the evacuation efforts since you're able to make force fields that could keep everyone safe should The Prayer decide to attack during the evacuation. Willy and Joe can help defend everyone along with you."

Dana bit her lip and I could see that she was beginning to see reason. After a while, she asked, "How long will that take? How long will you be gone?"

"Not too long, I hope. I sure hope that, by the time you get to the planet along with the others, our job would be done." I answered. "You don't have to worry, Dana. If Khadagh could do it—rescue the children by himself—I'm pretty sure I can do that too, and maybe even quicker with Emma to help me."

"You said that before, with Undinogh, and things didn't turn out exactly as we planned it." She reminded me.

"Huh, I guess I did. Still, it turned out okay, didn't it? We did end up beating Undinogh."

"You almost _died_." She hissed. "You _could have_ died! We could all have."

"But we didn't." It was a poor argument on my part and it did nothing to ease Dana's concerns. I touched her face and tipped it so that she was looking directly at my eyes as I said, "You don't have to worry about me, Dana. Emma and I will be fine. Things will work out."

"And if it doesn't?" She asked in a whisper. "What if you and Emma end up being captured, or worse, killed? What then?"

I sighed, pulling her closer, "Why must you always be such a pessimist? It won't come to that. I promise. We'll be careful...just as I know you would be, too. Before you know it, we'll be together again and we'll look back and see how stupid this argument is."

She leans in and kisses me, "I hope you're right Daniel, because I'm never going to forgive you if you're not."

* * *

We told the rest of the _drang_ our plan during dinner. They listened and agreed that it was our best course of action and they were glad we finally have a plan and not just winging it. We decided that there was no reason to prolong it and decided to act as soon as all of us were well-rested.

Just before he left with Emma, Joe pulled me aside. The look on his face told me enough even before his words did.

"You're going to make sure that she'll be safe, right?" Joe asked me, whispering as if he would be embarrassed if anyone else hears him. "She _is_ going to be safe with you, right?"

"Of course," I said. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"And to yourself as well." Joe said. "You're pretty reckless, Daniel."

"And to myself." I repeated, nodding. "Dana's already made sure that I won't do something stupid that would endanger myself or Emma. You don't have to worry."

Joe nod, even though he didn't look too sure about it. I could tell that he was more worried about Emma than he was for himself even though, when you think about it, they were the ones who were going into (potentially) a much more dangerous situation.

"Hey, Joe," I said, realizing that, like him, I wasn't also worried about my own safety. "can I ask you something...even though I'm pretty sure Dana's going to throw a fit if she finds out."

"Don't worry, man," Joe said, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I'll make sure she's safe as well. And I'll make sure Blaleen also gets out of Alpar Nok without a scratch on her."

"Thanks," I smiled. Then I looked over to where Dana was talking with Willy and Emma.

Joe followed my gaze and, without looking at me, asked, "So, have you—?"

I shook my head, putting my hands on my jean's pocket. "No, not yet. I'm planning to do it soon, though."

Joe nodded again. "Another reason why you need to be careful."

"I got plenty of reasons already," I said in reply to his statement. "But, one more reason doesn't hurt."


	10. Divide and Conquer, Part Two

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Nine**

**Divide and Conquer, Part Two**

* * *

The ship that I "made" for Emma and myself wasn't as huge as the one I created for Dana and the others. I wasn't sure how many we would be freeing from the slavers' hands so I decided to worry about the ship's size _after_ we've done the rescuing. After all, I can easily create a spaceship of any size. One of the cool things about the ship, though, was that Joe and I worked together in connecting the computer systems of both ships so that we could easily send data between the two ships directly, without having to worry on someone hacking through the system.

Of course, putting ships aside, we all should have realize that there was a potential problem to our plan (well, more than one problem, but I'll get to the rest later). Although we did know, based from Khadagh's memories that the slaver ship were en route to the Argos system, we didn't know what path they were going to take and what planet they were first going to auction their captured slaves to. We didn't even know when Khadagh actually saved the Lost Children and where that happened. We were lacking in information and Emma wasn't too happy with that. She berated me for it, saying that I should have thought of that sooner. She wasn't the only one who wanted to smack the back of my head for such a slip, even Dana wanted to hurl something at me when I told her about that "little" detail that slipped from my mind during one of our communications.

"Look, I'm already working on it with Joe," I told Dana, not wanting the entire conversation to focus solely on my blunder. "We should be able to figure out the slaver's exact location soon."

Dana frowned, "You should have tried to figure that out first. Floating aimlessly in space doesn't really help keep you and Emma from The Prayer's radar. Not only that but even with a jump it would take you months to reach the Argos system..."

"There's nothing we can do about that," she gave me a 'tsk' as she crossed her arms. "Anyways, how's it going on your end?"

"Painfully slow," Dana replied. "Blaleen and the other elders wouldn't leave without making sure that every single Alparian artifact and everything of value is safely tucked in the ship. Do you have any idea how many statues, books, and stuff like that there is? _A lot_." She sighed, her expressions softening, "Still, I do understand their actions. If we leave those behind, who knows what The Prayer will do with them. He might choose to destroy it, sell it to the highest bidder, or he might find something that he could use against us from those."

"Well, yeah...but, Dana, when it does come down to it, when The Prayer suddenly arrives even before you all can haul everything to the ship, just forget about the artifacts and just get out of there with the Alparians, alright?"

"You don't have to tell me that," Dana assured me. "I may share a little bit of Blaleen's sentiments when it comes to preserving our culture, but I don't intend to throw my life and the safety of our people just to make sure that a stupid statue gets to come with us."

I laughed, "Don't let Blaleen hear you calling an artifact 'stupid'. She won't like that."

* * *

It didn't take us a month to find the ship. It took us _two _months to find it. By the time we got to the location of the slaver's ship, Emma and I had all that pent up energy just waiting to be released from having been cooped up, doing next to nothing, for sixty-one days.

"Are you sure we can do this with just the two of us?" Emma asked as she stood behind cockpit where I sat, her hands behind the headrest.

"Nope," I replied as I engaged the cloaking device of our ship. Before she could speak again, probably to ask me why I didn't bring anyone else along, if that was the case, I told her, "We won't be doing it by ourselves. I've already sent word for backup and—" I clapped my hands together, and Dana, Willy, and Joe shimmered into existence. "—they're coming with us."

"Another suicide mission, Daniel?" Dana asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Nope, not really." I replied. "But we could use everyone's help with this. Children—beastmen children—are being held captive on that ship and—"

Emma cut me off.

"Hold up!" She had one of her hands on her hips and one hand signaling me to stop talking. I stopped. "I thought you can't call on them anymore."

"It's not that he can't," it was Joe who answered. "Daniel can still call on us for help but we can't stick around as long as we used to."

Emma looked at me as if asking for a confirmation. It was either that or she was asking for an explanation.

"I don't have one," I said, guessing that it was the latter. "I'm either getting out of practice with calling everyone into existence or..."

I trailed off, I know one other explanation as to why that was happening. Still, it was impossible for _that_ to be the reason. I haven't used that power since The Game and I don't plan on using it any time soon.

"So, what's the plan?" Dana asked when no one decided to speak after that. She turned to me and, with her hands on her hips, asked, "You _do_ have a plan, do you?"

I did.

"Get in, find the children, and get out before they sound the alarm." I shrugged. "That's basically the gist of it. We don't want to alert The Prayer with what we're doing, which is why we have to break in without them knowing. And, no one else can provide us the path than you, Emma. Joe can help you monitor if anyone's coming so you can change the path as you see fit. He'll also make sure to block surveillance videos and hijack them if needed. Once we find the beastmen children, we free them and get the heck out of there as quickly as we can." I pointed at Willy, "Which means no explosions, unless _extremely_ necessary. Should a fight do occur, we take them out before they can warn The Prayer while Dana, with Emma and Joe, make sure that the children are safely brought back here, to this ship. After that, depending on how it went, we can either leave without anyone guessing who it was that freed the kids or we can destroy the ship completely."

"That sounds...simple enough," Dana conceded, then sighed, "I just hope it goes well for us. We won't be able to help you both for long."

I nodded and looked over at Emma. If worse comes to worse, I may just have to use the power I swore I would never use.

* * *

The slaver ship was big, but not as big as the other ships we have come across with during our adventures. Heck, it was nothing compared to the size of the Raihin. Although, the smell that emanated from the slaver ship was almost at par with the smell inside the Raihin. I tried to hold my breath for as long as possible, not willing to let the smell of urine and other biological waste products get into my nose. I didn't even try to breathe through my mouth. I mean, come on, that would be even more disgusting that breathing with my nose.

I wasn't the only one trying _not _to breathe. Even Emma and the rest of our _drang_ tried to hold their breath for as long as possible as we quickly made our way, ducking past hallways, down staircases and ladders. The farther we got from where we started, the easier it was to breathe.

As we made our way in search of the captive beastmen children, we did come across some of the slavers—all from different races—as well as other rather primitive security measures. The farther in we got, the more it seemed to me the slavers were so relaxed that I was willing to bet they never had anyone attempted to escape or mount a rescue. It was a good news for us.

We had to be careful as we made our way to where Joe and Emma had both scanned and sensed people being held since the floor were so rusty and old that it made it dangerous to cross. Not only that, but it groaned when we step at it the wrong way.

"How can this thing even move?" Joe whispered the question as Emma bended another metallic wall to create another path for us to our destination. "You'd think with the way everything looks like, this ship should have long been abandoned."

"And," added Willy as he helped Dana climb down the newly created path, "you'd think with the amount of money they get from selling slaves, they'd have enough to buy a new ship."

"We're lucky that they're stupid enough not to think of doing that," I muttered just loud enough for them to hear. "We'd be in trouble if they did have newer equipment." then to Emma, I asked, "How much farther?"

Emma jumped down from the rung, landing softly on her feet.

"Not that far. But..." She paused. "That's strange. Joe, do your sensors sense that too?"

_That?_ I wanted to ask what she was talking about but I thought I would let her talk to Joe about it first. I was sure they were going to explain it to me as soon as they were certain of...whatever it was.

Joe paused for a while before he nodded. "How can we miss _that_?"

"Okay, enough with the suspense," said Willy, "What are you two talking about?"

"There's a strange energy signature coming off not too far from where we are, just before the hallway that will lead us to where they're keeping their prisoners." Emma replied with a frown. "It's blocking our path."

"Can't you just make a different path?" Dana asked. It was one of the reasons why I chose Emma to come with me.

Emma shook her head. "That's out of the question. We have to emerge from this path we're on in order to get to that hallway. There's no other way. It's strange though, there wasn't anything there before. Not anywhere close. It's as if whoever the energy signature belongs to just appeared all of a sudden, out of thin air."

"That's impossible," I said, because I really thought it was. No one would be able to appear out of nowhere, not the way that Emma was describing it. The only way that could happen was if someone suddenly decided to time travel to this particular instance. "Maybe both of your readings are wrong."

That earned me a death glare from both Emma and Joe.

"I don't make mistakes," Emma hissed.

"What she said," Joe.

Dana then looked at me, a worried expression on her face as she asked, "You don't think someone from the other timeline managed to find a way here again, do you?"

I shook my head, "That's not possible. Unless they have the same power that I do, they won't be able to time travel. Not after we destroyed the portal and every evidence that corresponded to it."

"Then how—?"

But before Dana could finish asking her question, the wall closest to us exploded, sending bits and pieces of metal flying around, almost hitting us in the process had it not been for Dana being quick to her wits and, like the _real_ Dana, managed to surround us all in a protective barrier.

The sudden explosion surprised all of us. It wasn't something we were expecting. Even so, everyone was quick to prepare for battle, readying themselves for it without a moment's notice.

"What the hell?" Willy asked, training his dual guns at the hole, waiting for whoever decided to blow the wall down to emerge.

"Well, well, well," a voice boomed from beyond the hole. "what do we have here."


	11. Divide and Conquer, Part Three

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but

Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Ten**

**Divide and Conquer, Part Three**

* * *

Dana looked impatiently at the large holographic monitor, tapping her fingers on the desk supporting the computer and its paraphernalia's while her chin rested on her right hand. She was bored and, although she _might _be needed somewhere else, Dana couldn't leave the console before her. She was expecting a call, a report, one that would ease the worry that she had been feeling for several hours now.

Dana felt...concerned, and even bordering on frightened. It could have been about Daniel. She was somewhat confident that Daniel would be able to pull-off his side of the mission, but she knew the dangers that Daniel could face, and usually does_._ It could also be about the report that the Varjian scouts that had suddenly arrived to help them-stating that they had been sent by Daniel to aid with their evacuation efforts-that there was a large number of warships coming their way. It could also have been because their ship were already nearing reaching its overweight capacity what with all the stuff Blaleen and the other Alparian elders didn't want to leave behind.

"It is our heritage, our life," Blaleen had stated, "These are the last remnants of our civilization, the story of our people, we cannot just abandon them."

Though she did agree with Blaleen and the elders, Dana wasn't lying to Daniel when she told him that she wouldn't feel any remorse should the need to throw all that stuff away came. It would be better to leave it behind and be able to fly away at a moment's notice than have those things-important as they might be in terms of preserving their history-slow and weigh them down.

"You know, Dana, if you keep on glaring at the console like that, you might end up accidentally destroying it with your powers,"

Dana jumped at the voice. She didn't know how long she had been thinking-and sulking-and why she didn't realize she was alone until she saw that Joe had returned from his errand.

"Joe!" Dana exclaimed, not bother to hide her surprise...not that she could have hidden it after jumping out of her seat with her hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Joe frowned, "But I didn't-" he shook his head and sighed, "Blaleen's looking for you."

It was Dana's turn to frown, "Looking for me? Why?"

Joe moved forward, shrugging, "Who knows. But I wouldn't keep her waiting if I were you."

Dana squinted at Joe, "Why do I have a feeling you know what it's actually about and you're just not telling me?"

The laugh that he made sounded force. At least, to Dana, it does. But, instead of telling him what he _does_ know, Joe merely said, "Just go to her house. She's already waiting for you." She looked behind her, back at the console, seeing her look torn between doing what was asked for her and waiting for Daniel who _might_ call, Joe added, "Don't worry, I'll call you if something comes up over here."

Dana nodded and reluctantly made her way to Blaleen's house.

* * *

Dana knew that she didn't need to be nervous. There was _absolutely_ nothing to be nervous about. But, she couldn't help the butterflies that she was feeling inside of her stomach as she watched Blaleen who was working on preparing something to eat for her. There was nothing in the way the old Alparian moved that should have called forth all of Dana's defenses, but somehow it felt like she was waiting for an interrogation to start where she was the one who was going to be interrogated.

The last remaining member of Daniel's family was anything but frightening, Dana also knew that. If anything else, Blaleen was kind and never condescending. She was, however, strict when it came to some things and Dana was also starting to realize that she was also overprotective of her grandson.

Not that Blaleen was ever going to admit to something like that, because she was also stubborn.

Silence filled the beat-up old house, the only sounds were the sounds of voices coming from outside where people were shouting orders, hurrying up the evacuation process. The news that The Prayer was close, after all, wasn't a secret. Every Alparian knew that their time was running short.

Having finally finished making a sandwich and tea, Blaleen took the food to the living room where Dana was waiting. She placed the tray with the food on the small table, took a cup and sat down on the vacant chair opposite the young telekinetic Alparian.

When Dana sat rigidly, looking at her, unsure of what to do, Blaleen waved her hand to the sandwiches and the cup of tea and said, "You should eat while you can, Dana. We will need all capable fighters ready when the time comes."

Dana nodded, and with the same rigidity, she took one sandwich.

Sandwich on her hand, she looked curiously at the old woman before voicing out her question. "I'm sorry, Blaleen, but...this couldn't be the reason you asked me to come here."

Blaleen nodded, took another sip of her tea, and then answered, "It isn't. Not entirely. But before we get to why I asked Joe-Joe to bring you here, it is best if we get some nourishment in you. I'm pretty certain that my Daniel wouldn't appreciate it if you ended up thinning while under my care, here in Alpar Nok."

Dana wanted to argue that she really wasn't under anyone's care and that it was the other way around. Daniel was the one who entrusted Blaleen and the rest of the Alparians to her and Joe and Willy. But, of course, she didn't say anything about that. She didn't want to sound like she was pushing her importance in this whole thing, especially when it seemed that Blaleen truly believed that she was responsible for Dana.

"You don't believe me," Blaleen chuckled as she set down her cup of tea. Dana was about to protest but Blaleen held up a hand to stop her. "I can see it in your eyes, child. You think that all of this is just crazy-talk. But, let me tell you, that is just how things are. I am now among the elders of our people and the grandmother of Daniel, as long as I am alive, it will always be my responsibility to ensure that you are well taken care of."

"I don't-I mean, I wasn't-" Dana was at a lost for words for having been caught like that. In the end, she settled into apologizing, "I'm...sorry."

Blaleen chuckled once again, "No need to apologize. Just eat."

Despite not having the appetite, Dana did as she was told. She ate slowly until she was full and the refills stopped.

Once Blaleen was satisfied, she leaned back and said, "Now, let us talk."

"Um, about what, Blaleen?" Dana asked, not wanting this to be a one-sided talk. "The evacuation?"

The old woman shook her head and said, "No, not about any of that boring stuff. About you and Daniel."

Dana's eyes widen in surprise, her jaw hung open. She was glad that she was no longer holding the cup of tea or was drinking anything. She was sure she could have either spit out what she had just drank, or let go of her hold of the glass, or both. Heat spread to her face up to the tips of her ears. She felt embarrassed. She had never talked to anyone about Daniel-not the way she suspected Blaleen wanted to talk to her about.

"W-What? A-About Daniel?" She couldn't help stuttering. She tried to clear her throat, but even so, her voice squeaked as she added, "I don't think-maybe we can talk about something else, Blaleen?"

Blaleen chose to ignore her or didn't hear Dana's request because she went right in and asked, "Do you intend to have a union with my grandson, Dana?"

Dana's face went another shade of red darker. She was _not_ expecting that question.

_Why is she suddenly asking me about marriage?_ Dana couldn't help but wonder, amidst how freaked-out she was feeling. _Did Daniel put her up to this? Did he talk to her about this?_

"Well?" Blaleen asked, continuing to watch her, waiting for her response.

"I, uh, we haven't really...talked about that yet," was Dana's choice for an answer. She thought that it was a perfectly safe answer, and figured that it was also the _right_ answer.

Blaleen nodded, "With all that's happening, I suppose that is true. However, I didn't ask if you talked with him about it or not. What I asked was your intention. But perhaps I should ask you an easier question, one you could answer. Do you love Daniel?"

"O-Of course!" Dana couldn't help but quickly answer, her voice rising. She took a deep breath and with as much calm as she could muster under such a situation, she added, "I really do love Daniel, Blaleen. I would do anything for him. He...he's my best friend...he had saved me and accepted me for who I had become. How can I not love someone like that?_"_

Blaleen studied her and, for a moment, Dana wasn't sure what the old Alaprian wanted. She was right in assuming that Blaleen was a very protective grandmother, she just wasn't sure how over-protective she was.

After a while, Blaleen nodded, "Graff and Altrea both seem to think that you and Daniel were a good fit, even when you were both little. But, that doesn't mean I would go easy on you...especially when Daniel asks for my permission. Having said that, it doesn't mean that I have anything against you, dear. I just want to make sure that my grandson only has the best."

And, without waiting for Dana-who's mouth was hanging open in surprise-to say anything, Blaleen stood up from where she sat, carried the tray of food back to the kitchen and proceeded to humming to herself, signaling to Dana that their conversation was over. Filled with mixed emotions, Dana mumbled her goodbyes before leaving Blaleen's house, hurrying herself back to the ship, hoping that she would be able to contact Daniel now.

She had a lot of things to say to him, that much was sure.

* * *

"So, how was it?" Joe asked as soon as he heard Dana enter the room. He wouldn't have asked the question had he seen her face, but as his back was on her, he didn't see.

Dana's sole answer, as she slid to her seat and buried her face on the console was a groan.

The unexpected form of answer caused Joe to swivel from his chair to look at her. Sure enough, Dana's posture wasn't something he had expected.

"That bad?" he asked, tentatively.

"You have no idea," Dana replied, "Blaleen just, basically, handed me a threat...or a warning. I _did not_ see that coming_."_

"Wait...what?" Joe's laughter was one wrought about by confusion.

Dana sighed, turned her chair around, and began to tell Joe what had happened. Normally, she would have kept it to herself but since it seemed as though she and Joe were in the same boat-what with Joe still needing to prove himself to Willy-she figured he could help her, or explain to her what just happened.

After Dana narrated the events, Joe could only whistled.

"Daniel's going to be in trouble...isn't he?" He asked, as he continued to watch Dana's exasperated face.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, wondering if she just muttered out loud how much she was going to strangle Daniel.

Joe laughed, "It's written all over your face, Dana. You think he said something to Blaleen to make her act that way towards you?"

Dana shrugged, she wasn't sure but, "What other explanation could there be? Daniel must've said something that didn't sit well with his grandmother."

Just before Joe could defend their ever-fearless leader, a siren erupted around the compound. Red, flashing lights bathed the room they were in. The annoyance that was on Dana's face and the amusement on Joe's were soon replaced by realization, followed by urgency. They knew what that meant even before Willy came barreling towards them.

"They're here!" Willy shouted towards them, "The Prayer's forces have just breached the Varjian's defenses. They'll make contact with our ground forces in less than an hour!"

* * *

It was the most frenzied hour of Dana's life.

The moment the alarm sounded, everyone was running, making sure they have everything they needed-and wanted to bring-on-board the ship. Within minutes, Joe had fired up the ship and was ready for takeoff; Willy had made final preparations with the machinations that Joe had created for their ground defense and also to buy them time as they escape; and Dana had re-doubled her efforts in protecting not only their ship but also the Varjian forces that were fighting for them. She was tired before she knew it, even so, Dana did not let the barriers down.

"We sure could use Daniel's powers right about now," Willy said over the earpiece that Joe had provided each one of them. "We could sneak out of Alpar Nok instead of flying straight to the enemy."

"Daniel's not here, and there's no point in wishing he was," Dana sighed, even though, truth be told, she wished for the same thing. "Let's just focus on getting out of here in one piece."

"I second that," Joe agreed. "We're not totally defenseless, though. Daniel seemed to have thought ahead of time and added a couple of defense mechanisms in the ship...I didn't notice these before...Why didn't I notice this before?"

Joe drifted off wondering what had occupied his mind for him not to notice the defenses he had mentioned to his friends. After a while, he chuckled, "That sly bastard."

"Did we miss something?" Dana asked, "And, did you just call Daniel a 'bastard'?"

"That, I did." Joe laughed as he began entering codes, instructions, into the console in front of him. "You guys should see what he did with the ship. It's like he created it to have a mind of its own."

"What are you talking about?" Willy asked as soon as he had finished calibrating the cannons. "And please, don't give us that geek speak you always end up doing when you're excited about something related to technology or whatever."

Joe wanted to tell Willy how much he was wasting his IQ if he was going to just cruise through the explanation in layman's terms, but he decided to hold his tongue knowing full-well what that would entail for him and Emma. So, instead, Joe gave in to Willy's request of not doing 'geek speak'.

"I don't really know how he did it but, whatever Daniel did, he implanted the ship to have a VI in it." Joe said.

"A VI? You mean a 'Virtual Intelligence'?" Dana asked.

Joe beamed, glad that Dana was on-board and that he didn't need to explain it to her as well. He was certain that she knew the basics of VIs. "That's exactly what I meant. I didn't know Daniel knew about them, or if he had any idea what he just implanted the ship with but, with whatever the case may be, he outdid himself. Though, I wish he didn't hide this from me. I'm not sure how long it would take for the VI to power-up or even what it would do, but, whatever it does, I'm hoping it would help us with our escape."

"So, you don't know what it actually is and what it does but you think it will help us? That about right?" Willy asked.

"Knowing Daniel, it will help us. He wouldn't have created something like that in this ship if it won't." Dana sounded sure, her belief in Daniel not faltering. "But, until we know anything about this Virtual Intelligence, I think it would be smart not to depend on it, right, Joe?"

"I was about to say the same thing. Which means the safety of everyone on board this ship still rests on our shoulders." Joe agreed.

"Kind of a tall order, don't you think?" was all Willy said before he gave orders to the Varjians under his command.

Joe also dropped the call and went back to calibrating the ship. They were going to blast off in a moment, he was sure of it.

Dana sighed. She couldn't help but feel the same way Willy did. It was a pretty heavy and tall order to ask them to defend hundreds of Alparian from an enemy who wished for nothing but their complete and utter destruction. Even so, she was going to hold her ground and do everything in her power to make sure that everyone was safe, even if that included Blaleen who seemed to want her to prove herself to her.


	12. Divide and Conquer, Part Four

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I'm losing a bit of heart with how this fanfic is being welcomed, hence the chapter delays. I suppose the Daniel X-fandom isn't that large to begin with, so...well, there's that. Anyways, for those of you who are reading this fanfic (and the other Daniel X fanfics I have written) thanks a lot for the support and the patience. I'll try to update as frequent as I can, but I don't know how frequent that will actually be since I'm working on my second book (yay!) and my first book (which is available on Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords, etc...yeah, I know, shameless plugging!) will soon be made available on my own country! How awesome is that?

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and...if you, can, give my book a try as well (check my author profile for more info).

**End of Author's Notes**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang_ must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Divide and Conquer, Part Four**

* * *

I couldn't help but find it ironic as we were making a break for it, along with dozens of beastmen children. The wailing siren and the automated voice that was telling us how much time we had left before the ship self-destructs along with the orders being barked by those who were oldest in the group and our feet hitting the metallic ground, not to mention the sounds of explosions erupting all around us created a sort-of hellish orchestra.

Emma ran beside me, making sure to create a path for us and push metallic debris out of the way while muttering how stupid the whole idea was. I couldn't blame her, I thought it was stupid as well. I also thought it necessary.

Dana-or the copy of her that I created-ran in the middle of the crowd, making sure that her barrier shielded everyone. The power it took to maintain the shields was enough to make her look haggard. It pained me to see her struggling like that, even though I was struggling along with her as she was still getting her energy from my own reservoir. The amount of energy I needed to sustain them and their powers was quickly draining me and I knew that it would only take a little while longer before they are snuffed out of existence.

Joe and Willy backed our rear, making sure that the remaining slave traders were dealt with before they could attack us. Like Dana, they were also spending too much on their powers, weakening me so much so that I couldn't even do much except for run and keep on supplying them with energy. It was a nightmare for me...and that's saying something.

"Just...keep on running Daniel, we're almost there," I heard Emma say, amidst the noise that surrounded us.

I looked at her, my vision was starting to get blurry-proof that I was almost out of energy. She was right, though. I had to keep on. And I had to create a ship that will help us escape. I still had so much I needed to do in order to ensure our safety but my lack of practice-with regards to calling for my _drang_ and letting them use their powers even though it drained me of mine-was proving to be problematic.

I couldn't help but wonder how our covert rescue mission ended up like this...

* * *

_Moments before..._

"What. The. Hell?" Willy couldn't get the surprise out of his voice. I, on the other hand, could only gape at the figure just beyond the giant hole that he had blasted away.

"No...way." Was all I could say as the dust from the explosion cleared and there, standing before us, was The Prayer.

Dana was quick to move, however, when she saw who it was as she immediately placed a protective barrier around us. As soon as the surprise wore off, Joe summoned his Symbiote and with Emma, they began to weave a robot together from the debris that surrounded us. Willy had his guns pointed at The Prayer, ready to shoot should The Prayer move. All of them formed a semi-circle around me as I continued to stare in disbelief at the alien that was the cause of all this trouble.

"Surprised to see me, Alien Hunter?" He asked, his gaze fixed on me.

"Pull yourself together, Daniel," I heard Dana whisper to me. Her words were enough to snap me back.

I balled my fist and glared at The Prayer. _If he's here, that means that Alpar Nok is safe for now. Dana, Willy, and Joe are safe. That's good. That's good enough for now..._

"I have to say, I am surprised to see you here. Who would have thought that you would seek out the slave traders." The Prayer went on as he ducked in the hole, walking towards us. Me and my _drang_ moved back, with every step he took forward, we took a step backward. It was frustrating. "Though why you would sneak in is still beyond me. Tell me, what do you hope to gain in this little...expedition of yours, Daniel X?"

I couldn't help at laughing. The Prayer didn't know what we were doing there. I couldn't help but wonder if he thought we came sneaking in because we were tying to ally ourselves with the slave traders. It was either that or he already knew what we really came there for and was just playing with me, with us. I would rather it be the former than the latter.

"Do you really think that we'd sink so low as to ask help from the scum of the galaxies?" I couldn't help but ask, my mind already conjuring up the most believable lie I could come up with in just a short notice. "Why else would we be here other than to destroy this filthy ship and the criminals in control of it?"

The Prayer's eyed me with suspicion. My _drang _had the good sense of playing along with me.

"I find it hard to believe that you would target small fries like this one, Daniel X," The Prayer said, stopping in his tracks. "With how well I know you-and I do know you well enough to say so-I have a feeling that you didn't come here to deal with the traders. So, what then could it be you're after?"

His eyes gleamed and I was afraid that he would realize we came here for the prisoners-the slaves. Before I could think the whole thing through, I gave my _drang_ the signal to attack. I didn't know if I could beat The Prayer right then, not when I had to share my energy reserves with three of my creations, but I knew we had at least needed to try to get The Prayer to retreat. And, if not, we had to get away from him and, while running for our life, rescue the prisoners in the ship.

It was easier said than done.

* * *

We were almost there-the only part of the ship where I can create a ship for us to take our of the now burning inferno of a slaver vessel. I couldn't keep the relief from my face from becoming too obvious.

_Just a little more._ I keep telling myself even as I wondered how I was going to be able to keep the ship together until we can land some place and I could just rest. Without Dana's help, I couldn't do what I had been doing in the past weeks-no, months-where I could just rest and sleep and the ship would still be carrying us around. The only reason I could do that was because Dana was with me and she was able to boost my power and keep it in check.

But, of course, I didn't think about the possible consequence of having used my powers to much. If I thought too much about it, I would just worry and me worrying would not do anything good for us.

"Are you sure you can still do it?" Emma whispered the question to me, fearing just as I do that letting others hear her question would cause a panic. Plus, I figured she didn't want Dana, Willy, and Joe to feel responsible for my lack of energy-even though, they were, for the most part, the ones to blame.

I managed to give her a reassuring smile, "Let's hope so. Although, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find another planet we can hide out in so that I could rest up before we meet up with Dana and the others."

Emma nodded and immediately went to Joe, probably to ask him for help with regards to that matter. As soon as Emma was gone, I went ahead and concentrated as hard as I could to create our ship as quickly as I could. I fumbled a couple of times-the ship appearing but not being tangible or parts of the ship not being created at all-until I was so frustrated knowing that we were running out of time. The slaver ship was going to explode soon and I was also going to run out of energy soon as well.

I was so caught up in my task that I didn't notice Dana was already standing beside me until she placed a hand on my shoulder, a look of worry and concern in her features.

"Relax," she told me, "Deep cleansing breaths."

I almost laughed. My concentration wasn't the one that was skewed and that was causing problems with my powers. I couldn't tell her the truth, though not because I didn't trust her but because I didn't want to see the look that would definitely end up in her face when she learns that I was having problems because I was almost out of steam. I didn't want to see that look on her face, and it didn't matter if she was just a copy of Dana.

Still, I did what she expected me to do and I tried my best to create for us a ship that would (hopefully) take us to safety.

* * *

_Moments before..._

I was running as fast as my feet could carry me with Emma in tow. We had left Dana, Willy, and Joe to deal with The Prayer and to buy us time. I even went as far as instructing them to use everything in their arsenal, do everything they can to keep The Prayer busy. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have given them that particular 'Go' signal and that I should have thought more about what the repetitive use of their powers would do to my own-being my creations and all.

During that time, though, with having no other options available to us, it was the only thing I could think of.

While they fought with The Prayer-who seemed to truly believe that he was fighting with the real versions of my friends-Emma and I went on in search of the cells that would be holding the slaves. We were no longer concerned about keeping ourselves hidden from the slavers as we rushed through the ship, searching. Those unlucky slavers that got in our way were easily dealt with.

"Tell me, why we couldn't have just done this from the get-go?" Emma asked as we ducked into the control room, having decided that the easiest way to find the beastmen children would be to look at the computers.

"Well, I wanted to make sure that we didn't' end up fighting with anyone," I told her as we both took a computer and began our search for any information regarding the slaves. "Fighting would, after all, put you in danger and I'm pretty sure Willy and Joe would kill me should anything happen to you."

I saw Emma rolling her eyes, "I'm pretty capable of defending myself, you know."

"I do know that," I told her. "That doesn't mean that your brother and your fiancé would be willing to accept that line of reasoning."

"True," Emma conceded. After a while she exclaimed, "I found them!"

I immediately rushed to her side as she pointed her fingers on the monitor and the program that she had opened and was running.

"Where?"

"Cells C1 to E4." Emma replied. Then her brows furrowed and she added, "That's...a lot of them."

I nodded, it sure was double the number that Khadagh had fed me in his memories.

"We can think more about what that means later, right now we have to hurry." I winced and added, "I don't think I can keep the others fighting long enough for us to escape if we just keep on standing here."

Emma didn't argue with me. After checking a map for the ship, we left the control room and began to head to the C1 cell levels as fast as our feet could carry us.

* * *

After so many tries, I finally managed to create a working and tangible ship. I couldn't keep myself from breathing another sigh of relief.

"Everyone, get in!" I told them.

The beastmen children didn't wait to be told twice. They immediately rushed towards the ship's entrance, their faces, though marred with soot and grime, and who knows what else, had a look that was much more stronger than relief on their faces when they saw the ship that was going to take them to safety. As quickly as they could, they boarded the ship, making sure that no one get injured in the process. The first ones in were the younger ones, the older ones-those that were sixteen years old-chose to let the others board first.

Leo, Amber, and Cleaver stood at the side, watching as the younger Lost Ones boarded the ship. They looked suspicious but, I guess, given the choice they have, it was quite obvious that they would choose to go with us rather than stay in a "sinking" ship.

Sensing that someone was looking at them, the three older beastmen looked around until their gaze landed on me. The look on their faces told me just how they didn't really trust me, and I couldn't really blame them. After what they had been through under the slave traders, it would be impossible for them to trust anyone that quickly.

* * *

_Moments before..._

Whines, animalistic in nature, filled my ears as soon as we opened the door that would lead us to the C cell blocks. I wasn't sure just how much in-tuned with their animalistic-sides the beastmen children were, but I could pretty much guess that they could feel the explosions caused by the battle between my _drang_ and The Prayer and how much trouble they all would be in if the ship ended up being blown into pieces.

The first cell block, C1, was filled with young beastmen children, the oldest of whom couldn't be older than five. They ranged from having avian parts to having tails instead of feet. It was chaotic and the cell smelled like it was filled with manure and piss and it was a miracle that Emma and I didn't end up throwing up.

I turned to Emma, before we decided to open up the cell.

"It's going to be troublesome if they ended up running away before we can explain to them who we are and what's happening," I said. "Can you block the passageway so that they won't be able to run off and maybe get themselves killed?"

Emma nodded and went on ahead, calling forth a wall of metal from the floor that cut off our entrance as well as our escape route. With that done, I went to the nearby panel and began my work hacking the computer that would open up every, single cell in the C block section.

"Ready?" I asked Emma when all I needed to press was the ENTER button. I wouldn't want her to be unprepared for what would certainly be a very rough group of children.

"As I'll ever be," was her reply, though she sounded resigned more than anything else.

When the doors clanged open, the beastmen children were all surprised. No one jumped out of their cells and cried "Freedom!". They all looked unsure, and the most they did was take a peek our of their cell doors.

I looked at Emma, wondering why they weren't coming out. "Don't they want to be get out of their cells?"

She frowned, "It's not that they don't want to. It's that they're not sure. I mean, what would you have done if your cell door suddenly opened and it looked like you were being given a free pass out of your cage?"

I realized that she would have better understanding about what could be going on in the minds of these children. She would know exactly what they feel because, well, because she felt it too, back when she, Dana, Joe, and Willy were all being held captive by Ergent Seth; back before they could outsmart Seth and before Khadagh came to their rescue. That's when I realize that I didn't make a mistake in bringing someone else from my _drang_ along. Emma can talk to them, can connect with them on a level that I never could.

"Get them to come out," I told Emma, "They'll trust you more than they'll trust me."

Emma looked at me like I just suggested something stupid, "What makes you say that?"

She seem to have been able to read what was going on in my mind, because she just nodded. Understanding passing between us.

After much coaxing, the beastmen children-the Lost Ones-finally took small tentative steps out of their cells. Once they have stepped outside and they realized that we weren't going to harm them, the others followed until no one was left inside their cells. They all looked at us, waiting for us to do something that would allow them to attack us, but when Emma and I merely waited for someone to step up-someone who, quite possibly, could be the leader of the group, they started to feel at ease with us, realizing that we weren't a threat.

After a while, someone did step up. Someone very familiar.

It was the same girl who had Dana and I thrown into prison and with her was another familiar face-Pole.

I couldn't help but smile at the little girl who had snuggled up at me when we were talking with Leo, back when Dana and I were trapped in the alternate universe. Unlike the Pole from that timeline, this Pole didn't so much as smile at me. She merely looked at me with a blank expression on her face as the girl who had us thrown into prison gave me a steely glare.

"Who are you people and what is it that you want with us?" the girl asked, her voice wasn't all that different from the tone she used with Dana and I.

I had the urge to answer them with "We come in peace", but decided that they, probably, wouldn't appreciate it and that Emma would, probably, also slap the back of my head. So, instead of saying something as cheesy and cliché as that, I told them our names and the reason why we were there, along with the fact that my other friends were currently buying us time from The Prayer and that if we didn't free the others, we would run out of time and would all be captured and executed. To prove my words, I even showed them the amulet that the alternate-timeline-Leo had given me. You would have thought, after what Leo had said about it being important in proving we were friends of his people, that it would have been enough. But some people-and by some, I mostly just mean the girl who threw Dana and me into prison-were simply too stubborn.

"And why should we trust you?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" I was starting to feel annoyed, remembering the time I have spent in a jail cell that was half-as-bad as the one they were in. "Unless you would want to be killed by The Prayer, unless you want to throw your life as well as the lives of the little ones away, then your only choice is to trust us and come with us. I'll make sure every, single one of you gets the freedom that they very much deserve."

"What Daniel is trying to say is that, you can judge whether or not we're trusty worthy later, when we're all out of danger," Emma said, elbowing me on my rib. "We really have to free the others and get out of here as soon as possible."

Every single Lost One who could understand what we were saying looked from us to the girl who they seem to regard as their leader. After a while, the girl finally nods and I get to learn what her name was: Amber.

With Amber making sure that the other Lost Ones were ready, we all made our way to the D cell blocks, then the E cell blocks where I saw Leo and Razor again, though they were as skeptical of us as Amber and Pole were. Among the beastmen children locked up in the D cell blocks was another leader of the Lost Children who went by the name "Cleaver".

Cleaver proved useful in battle, when slave traders suddenly arrived just as we had freed the E cell blocks. He was quick and efficient, the traders didn't stand a chance and it made me wonder just how did they manage to capture him and throw him in a cell...and how much trouble he caused the traders. I was glad that he was on our side, though I was also worried about what might happen, if he decided that we were untrustworthy.

"Now what?" Amber asked as the two other leaders-Leo and Cleaver-stood beside her.

"Now we make a run for it, to the other side of the ship," I told them. "We can't go to the docking bay since that's where Dana and the others-our friends-are fighting against The Prayer. As much as possible, I don't want The Prayer to know that we helped all of you escape."

Amber nodded, as if understanding what that would entail...though I doubt she actually got the whole picture. Still, I was glad when no one objected. I gave Emma the signal after that and she created a path for us to follow and take for our escape. That was when the explosions really got out of hand and I began to feel faint.

_They're really going all out now..._

* * *

I locked myself up on a room in the ship, not wanting anyone to bother me and cause me to lose my concentration and the slim hold I had of my power. I asked Emma to fill everyone in, to tell the leaders of the Lost Ones everything and get them to help us free the uncharted planet from any dangerous alien infestations it may have. With their job done, I clapped Dana, Joe, and Willy out of existence. We might need my powers for something more later and I didn't want to be unable to use them when the time comes.

As I let myself feel comfortable in my bed, I couldn't help but think back at what happened. It confused me, especially the stunt The Prayer pulled. I knew that he was someone who never fails to take an opportunity by the throat and wouldn't just leave something unfinished, unless there was something more pressing, more important, than what he was currently facing.

What Dana, Joe and Willy told me when we met up with them prior to me creating the ship, it bothered me.

* * *

_Moments before..._

"Dana!" I shouted and waved, relief rushing through me as I saw them running towards us. Even though those three were not the real versions of themselves, I still couldn't help what I felt when I saw that, despite having a lot of bruises, they were safe and alive. "Willy, Joe! Over here!"

I hugged Dana as soon as she was within my reach, momentarily forgetting that she wasn't the real Dana. It was something that I had just found doing, sort of like a reflex.

"We're okay, Daniel," She told me as she hugged me back.

"Wait, if you guys are here, does that mean that The Prayer isn't far behind?" Emma joined us and I saw her glance over at Joe. I wondered if she wanted to give him a hug...or something more...but knew that it wasn't going to be like the real thing.

"No," it was Willy who answered as he slung his guns on his back. "The Prayer's gone."

I was taken aback by the statement, "Wait! What? You guys managed to defeat him and force him to retreat?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Willy asked with a huff, "Don't think we'll be able to do something like that?"

I looked at Willy, my mouth hanging open. I honestly didn't think they would be capable of pushing The Prayer back so much that he'd retreat. Then I saw Joe shake his head and Dana whirled around to look at Willy, with one of her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Willy asked.

Joe then sighed and said, "Nothing like that happened. We were having our asses handed, to be honest. I was pretty sure The Prayer was just about ready to end us but then he-"

"He left," Dana finished.

"Left?" Emma asked, the beastmen were starting to crowd in on us, listening to our discussion. "What do you guys mean he just left?"

"Left, as in, he just decided to get the hell out of here," Willy was the one who answered, "Not that I could blame him. The ship's going to lose power soon."

I looked at Willy, somehow I was starting to get a bad feeling about all of this.

"Willy, what did you do?" I asked with a sigh.

Willy didn't get to answer at once, because as soon as I asked that question, a powerful explosion rocked the whole ship, tossing us around. I managed to grab Dana and pull her close, Joe also managed to do the same thing to Emma, making sure she didn't bump her head on anything. Another explosion followed soon after that and the whole ship groaned.

"What did do?" Emma screamed at Willy.

"Forget that," Joe told Emma then looked at me, "We have to run, we have five minutes before this whole ship blows up."

And run we did.

* * *

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and annoyed me.

_Didn't I tell them that I wanted to be alone to rest for a while?_ I couldn't help but ask.

When I opened the door of my cabin, however, I was surprised to see Emma. She was the last person I know who would bother me when I asked not to be bothered.

"I know you said we should let you rest but..." she trailed off, her face looked so serious and I began to wonder what kind of trouble the beastmen found themselves in in just a short amount of time and in such a small space as the ship.

"The beastmen?" I asked, certain that that was the cause of her visit.

Emma shook her head and my brow furrowed. Before I could ask, however, she turned around and motioned me to follow.

"I think it would be better if you see it for yourself," Emma said.

My frown deepen but I followed her, nonetheless. We ended up in the surveillance room. In the middle of the room was a large, paper-thin screen, and in that screen was a video footage.

"I was trying to set up a communication between us and the others," Emma said, her gaze fixed on the chaos that was ensuing, "This is what I got from Alpar Nok."

The video footage showed Alpar Nok in complete chaos. Fires were burning as missile after missile landed and exploded on the ground. Ships zoomed in and out of the area being covered by the footage, one group of ships trying their best to fight back. I know those ships. It was from one of the fleets I had asked the Varjians to lend us for the Alparian exodus.

Thick walls of black smoke filled the sky and, coupled with the fires that burned all around, the whole sky looked as though it was bleeding. I searched around, trying to find the large ship that Dana and the others would be on, hoping to see it still in tact and, at the same time, hoping that the ship was no longer there and that they had all managed to escape before the attack started.

Emma and I watched in silence as our homeworld was being decimated up until the screen went dead and the only thing we could see and hear was static.

"I guess now we know what's so important that The Prayer would give up a chance to kill three Alien Hunters," Emma's voice was small.

I could only nod and say, "He wanted to be there when Alpar Nok burns."

"Daniel, do you think-?" Emma had to force the question out, but she couldn't even finish it. "Do you think the others are-?"

I balled my fist. "I'm sure they're alright. They could have escaped before The Prayer's forces arrived. Besides, I've made all the necessary precautions... I'm sure they got out in time."

Emma nodded, though I could see with the way she stood and the way her shoulders sagged, the way her eyes looked, that she didn't quite believe me. I didn't know if I believed what I had just said, myself. Still, there was nothing we could do but hope and trust that our friends made it out just in time.

"Emma, let's get to the planet as soon as we can," I said, clearing my throat. "We have to clear it before the others arrive."

Emma nodded and got to work. I left her and went to meet with Leo, Amber, and Cleaver. I could no longer afford to rest.


	13. Divide and Conquer, Part Five

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

**Author's Note:**

I really am sorry for the lack of updates when it comes to this fanfic. If you've been reading my previous updates from Chronicles of Time: Another Future, then you would know the reasons for the delay (which primarily concerns me working on my own book series called the Winged Saga, the first book of which is already available in bookstores and ebook stores. So, if you guys are interested in reading it, you should check it out (shameless plug, I know, :p)). Anyways, here's a brand new chapter (after a loooong hiatus on this fanfic). I hope you guys enjoy it. :)

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Divide and Conquer, Part Five**

* * *

"So? This planet you're going to be relocating us and your people, it is dangerous?"

It was Cleaver who asked that question. The way he asked it made me think he was bored and wanted to do anything, it doesn't matter if he had to clean up a whole planet. In a way, Cleaver reminded me of Willy.

"I'm not one-hundred-percent certain but, there are creatures there that need to be pushed back from where we're going to set everyone up to live." I replied. "We don't need to destroy them."

Leo nodded, "It would be a bad idea if we go there with the intention of eradicating another alien life form. That would make us the same as those we are trying to oppose."

I agreed with them.

"So, this is the reason why you came to get us out. To help you with pushing those aliens back." Amber glared at me.

I decided not to lie to them, so I answered, "Partly, yes, that is the reason. Another reason is that because I hate slavers as much as you guys. I'm an Alien Hunter, and it's part of my duty to put a stop to crimes like that. And, also, because someone I know would have wanted to set you guys free."

"Someone you know?" Leo asked.

I didn't tell them who it was. I knew they weren't going to believe me, so I just smiled at them.

* * *

I kept pacing back and forth, wearing out the carpet on my room. Even though I tried to give them a brave-face that a "leader" should have, I couldn't keep lying to myself. Not really. If Emma was able to see what a mess I was, what I was really feeling deep inside, she didn't show it. Much like me, she also kept her real feelings bottled up inside.

It's not that we feared what the beastmen children—what the Lost Children—were going to say, if they would take it as a weakness or not, it was more along the lines of not wanting our personal feelings jeopardize the mission. That, and we both really believed in our friends, our _drang_. They—Dana, Willy, and Joe—were powerful Alien Hunters, competent ones, in their own right. Still, that didn't keep me—and, I guess, Emma—from worrying. I—we—know that they would stand up and fight, be willing to sacrifice themselves in order to keep the others safe. It was noble, and it made me a bit proud to think that I wasn't the only one willing to go through such risks, but it also made me afraid, so much so that my mind almost caused my powers to falter. I got an earful from Emma after that.

I kept checking on our communicator, hoping there was a message from the others, or any indication that they were all alright. There was none. As the days passed and we got closer to our destination and there were still no signs from them—no word from anyone, not the Varjians and the Azras even—my fear began to escalate. I couldn't keep myself from imagining the worst possible scenario. That was why, when we got to the planet, I could see the relief in everyone's faces that we got there before my powers completely fizzled out.

"Crap!" I wasn't as relieved as they were, though. I was mortified. "This is bad."

"You think?" was Emma's response as she trudged towards me. There was a certain look in her eyes that told me I was in for more than an earful. "What the heck is wrong with you? You could have injured us all, or worse."

I scrambled to get my powers back, worried at what it could have done to the others, but I couldn't. All I managed to do was fumble as I kept saying "No", becoming more aggravated the more I couldn't call upon anything.

When Emma saw that I was panicking, she asked me what was wrong. She was completely oblivious to what it could mean for Dana and the others. When I told her that the current loss of my power could have also affected the ship I have created as a means of transportation for the others, she became angrier than I have ever seen her in, well, forever. Emma was, after all, not that quick to anger. Even her outburst during the time we were in The Game was nothing compared to her anger at that moment.

"What the heck, Daniel?" she shouted at me, exasperated. "You knew that could happen! Why did you—!?"

"I can't control it, Emma," I shouted back. "I can't control how I feel or how my power reacts or how my mind would! You think I'm not as appalled as this as you are? I am. Dana...she's—"

I raked my hair with my hand, turning it ever messier than it already was. I was well aware that Emma and I were both shouting at each other, aware that the Lost Children were looking at us, maybe even wondering what was going on and what our next step was going to be. I knew we both had to keep it together and just...I don't know, hope for the best. I knew all that but I was afraid, angry, worried, annoyed, and a whole bunch of other emotions that I was afraid that I was going to say something that I would regret.

So, instead of sticking around and organizing everything, I stomped off, leaving Emma to lead or instruct or do whatever she wanted with the Lost Ones. I needed time for myself. Time to gather my thoughts. I ran when I could, even though I had no idea where I was going are where my feet would be taking me. I just ran and ran and ran until I couldn't anymore and I just collapsed on the ground, my face to the sky that was starting to get dark. Whether it was going to bring rain or night was starting to fall, I could care less. At least, at that moment.

I stayed staring up at the sky like that for a long while, trying to calm myself. When I felt that I was calm enough, I tried using my powers again. It flared to life, but only for an instant, thereby renewing my grief and frustration.

"So this is where you went," I heard Leo voice.

I looked over to where it had come from and he was standing on a branch of a weird-looking tree. He wasn't alone, too. Pole was with him. I stared at him, wondering how I didn't hear them but then decided that it was better to ask them what they want rather than how they managed to sneak up on me.

"We were worried," he stated, looking at Pole who stared at me curiously. "No one knows much about this planet except for you, Daniel X. So, the others asked me to find you and try to bring you back to help with whatever preparations were necessary to make this planet inhabitable for us...and for your people."

I snorted before I turned back to looking at the sky, "I'm not really in the mood nor in any position to be of any help. My mind is...pretty scattered at the moment."

"And rightly so," I quirked an eyebrow. "Emma told me about it. She thought it might be better for me to understand before I attempt to talk you into going back with us. Pole just wanted to come along."

I kept quiet. _So, Emma sent them. That was quick..._

"You really can't do anything about what could have happened to your friends now, Daniel X," Leo went on, I glared at him thinking that he should be careful. What he was saying, what he was talking about...he was threading on dangerous waters on this one. "You may not like to hear that, but right now, your responsibility lies with us. You set us free, made us board your ship and told us about this planet. You are responsible for all of that and you should take responsibility of it."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "I may have just killed off my race which included my best friends and my girlfriend and you think I should just get it together? Just like that?"

"You don't really have a choice for now,"

I could probably name a hundred of things that I hated at that moment and one of them was how Leo was right. I didn't have much of a choice. If—and I hated to even think about it—but, if Dana and the others were dead, whether because The Prayer got to them or because my power faltered and the ship disappeared from under their feet, I was sure they wouldn't want me to act the way I was acting then. They would've wanted me to do something—plan an attack, seek revenge for them, keep things going.

I wanted so badly to punch anything—heck, I was willing to punch anyone—but even that wouldn't do much other than quell my anger for a moment, maybe even just a second. And so, with a frustrated groan, I got to my feet and followed Leo and Pole back to where the others had begun setting up camp with whatever they could find in the vast wilderness we were in—which wasn't much.

"A couple of little shelters wouldn't hurt," Emma said. Though her voice was clipped, there was a hint of apology in the way she looked at me. "We can only do so much with the random things we find around here."

"I'm not sure—"

"Then try at least," it was the first time Pole spoke and I was taken aback by her words. "You can do that, can you? Try?"

The way she looked at me, with her eyes big in wonderment, stopped any protest that was building on my mouth and pushed it all away from my thoughts. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Even a little kid had more sense than I had at that point in time.

I smiled at her, "You're right. What could possibly go wrong, right?"

Though, even as I said that I hoped she didn't go ahead and enumerated stuff that _could_ go wrong. Thankfully, she didn't. And so, with as much I could muster under my current state, I tried. It was only when I was about to give up that I managed to create _something_. It was dwelling that resembled an igloo. Only, instead of being made up of snow bricks, it was made of weirdly-colored sand and gravel. Despite what it was made of, it was quite sturdy, as demonstrated by Cleaver when he tried to topple it. He didn't manage to destroy the house—if that's what you want to call it—though he did manage to injure himself in the process.

"Well, it's sturdy enough," Amber said, her cat-like eyes looking from the shelters to me. "But, how are we certain that it wouldn't just disappear from over our heads?"

I glared at her and just as I was about to tell her that she can sleep outside if she wanted, Leo came into my defense saying, "It will or it won't. It doesn't matter, Amber. For now we should be glad that Daniel X managed to give us shelter." he smirked, then added, "You could sleep outside, along with others who share the same disposition as you, if you—and the—want. No one's forcing anyone to make use of these dwellings."

Amber glared at Leo. Her fangs were starting to elongate and I was pretty sure I heard a low growl from her. But, if anyone had thought—as I had—that a fight between the two leaders was going to start, they would certainly have been as surprise as I was, because after a couple of seconds of that, Amber turned around, choosing to avoid making a scene. I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding and turned to Leo.

I gave him a grateful smile followed by a word of thanks. Leo nodded before he turned to Pole and asked, "So, shall we go and see what the inside looks like?"

Pole nodded vigorously before she let go of Leo's hand and dashed inside the house. Leo laughed, nodded at me and Emma, and then followed Pole inside. Every other beatmen child followed Leo and Pole's example and began picking out dwellings for themselves in groups of four. Cleaver and Razor chose to follow Leo and Pole. Soon, everyone had a home for themselves leaving Emma and I standing by ourselves.

It was awkward...to some extent.

When it was obvious that she wasn't going to say anything yet, I sighed and began to look around. We still needed a house for ourselves since every single igloo had been taken by the beastmen. My brows furrowed in concentration as I clapped my hands and tried to create one for us. After several claps that made me look like an idiot or a crazy-person, an igloo appeared before me.

That was when I heard someone snickering.

I thought it was one of the beastmen, but when I turned around and looked, it was Emma.

"What's so funny?" I asked her tentatively. She may have been sorry for her earlier outburst but I still wasn't sure if she didn't feel angry towards me still.

"That," she said, "You were clapping like a lunatic."

"Yeah...well..." I shrugged, "Clapping when I try to create something helps...sometimes."

She nodded like she understood before she went on ahead inside. I looked around for a bit before I followed her in.

The inside of the igloo was larger than what it looked from the outside and it was filled with what I thought were essential: a kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, a lounge. I was glad that I managed to create all of the stuff around us, including the food that was already prepared on the table.

"Well, it seems you got everything," Emma nodded when she saw me looking around, motioning around her. "Still...you had a hard time creating all these stuff. You never had a hard time before..."

"Yeah, it's strange..." I nodded. "Even Khadagh's memories don't say anything about this...it doesn't give me any explanation. That, and everything else, is making me more and more worried."

Silence.

After a while, Emma broke it.

"Look, Daniel," she said, walking toward me, "I'm sorry...about earlier."

I shook my head, "No. I...understand. I should, actually, be the one apologizing to you. I might have just killed off our entire race..."

"We...don't know that yet." she said, though she was unsure as well.

Again, silence. This time, neither of us broke it. Both of us have something on our mind. She left me to myself and I left her to deal whatever it was that was bothering her. I managed to get some sleep, although it was a troubled one, after we ate.

Of course, maybe I should have thought more about the planet. Maybe I should have realized that something was wrong and that I was bothered by something else other than the fact that my powers were being wonky and that Dana and the others might be dead...or captured and are being tortured before The Prayer decides to kill them. Maybe I should have questioned why the Lost Ones decided to create their dwellings up on a cliff's face. Maybe if I had wondered about that, pondered for the reason, we—_I_—could have prevented what happened next.


	14. Pole

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

My promised second update for the week. :)

I'm glad I managed to upload this considering how busy I was and how...annoying and frustrating my internet connection has been. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter (and tell me what you think of it). I'll try to update again tomorrow, if I could. Otherwise, expect another update sometime around Monday. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Pole**

* * *

No one bothered to wake me up. I guess they thought I deserved to rest because, when I woke up, it was already past noon. I decided, after all that had happened and after being given that much time, to take care of myself, taking a bath and changing my clothes. It had been a while since I did both, after all.

It made me feel good, at least, as good as I could feel about myself after everything that had happened. When I went to bed last night, I had hoped that Dana would try to contact me through my dreams. No such luck. I hated that one-way form of communication.

As soon as I was done, I went outside and immediately found the three leaders and Emma.

"I have already told you," I could hear Emma's voice even from where I was standing, which was pretty far away from them. "I can sense something dangerous."

"And I am telling you," it was Amber whom Emma was arguing with. "My nose is telling us that there is nothing dangerous in the span of a twenty-feet radius!"

"I am a _Sensor_. My parents were the best in their field and I can tell you that your _nose_ isn't as good as the ability that I have. It isn't as accurate as my powers,"

I could tell from the way Amber had bared her fangs at Emma that she didn't like what Emma had said. I ran towards them, hoping to stop a cat-fight between the two.

"What's going on?" I asked, which wasn't enough of a question to ease the tension filling the air.

It was Cleaver who answered my question in a bored tone, "Emma said she sensed danger nearby. Amber's countering her."

"Danger?" I asked, turning my attention at Emma who still hadn't backed down from whatever staring contest she and Amber were having. "Emma, what's he talking about?"

It was only then that Emma broke her gaze from Amber, looked at me, and then replied, "I woke up early today. I thought I should do some checking—something that I should have done before we built houses around here, you know. With my _powers_." she put a stress on the word 'powers'.

"And...you detected something?" I prodded. "Something...dangerous? Like, a wild animal or alien specie?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah. I told Leo about it and he called for these two." Emma then pointed at Amber and said, "She has been arguing with me about it since then."

"Why?" I asked, this time the question was directed at Amber.

"Because there is _nothing_ there. She just wants _my _people to search because _she _is being _paranoid_!"

"No need to shout, Amber," Cleaver said, wincing every time Amber puts a stress on one of her words. "You're making my ears hurt."

This time, Amber turned her glare at Cleaver who kept his nonchalant and bored attitude, which, in turn, merely fueled Amber's rage. That girl seriously has anger issues.

I turned at Emma again, "Are you sure about what you sensed?" A glare. "I mean, where, exactly, did you sense it?"

Emma turned and pointed just beyond two rock formations leading to a small hill.

"There, she said. And then," She moved her arm a couple of feet to the west and added, "there," another movement further west, "and there, and," Emma kept on pointing until she had basically made a circle, all the wile traveling westward.

"It's like whatever it is—was—was encircling us," Leo pointed out. I nodded.

"There. Is. Nothing. There!" Amber spat each word out. "I have the best nose among all of us and I am telling you I can't smell anything that would cause any warning signs to flash on my head!"

"We don't really know for certain if there is something lurking around here or not, but we can't be too careful, Amber." Cleaver yawned as he said those words. "I get what the little lady," Emma squinted her eyes at Cleaver and showed displeasure at being called 'little lady'. "is saying and none of us are doubting that you are the best in sniffing trouble out. But, this is a foreign world, one that hasn't been explored and, as far as we know, we are the first ones to who will be settling here."

"But—" Amber wanted to argue but Cleaver shook his head.

"If it's going to keep you guys quiet and keep everybody happy, I'm willing to go and check things out. But," Cleaver paused, "I am going to be needing help. I have no idea where I need to look."

Emma nodded, understanding what Cleaver wanted. "I'll go with you then. And maybe, we should bring others along—people who know how to fight."

Cleaver and Leo both nodded in agreement, with Leo also volunteering to the task. I was about to volunteer to when Emma stopped me.

"We need someone here to keep an eye on things. Amber can't do it all by herself," she told me and I was astounded with the way she spoke that I could only nod, even though, she did have a point, though I suspect it was more than me being around to defend the younger beastmen should anything dangerous really did come to attack the camp.

After making plans on what to do and deciding to pack up some of the supplies they might need, everyone dispersed with Amber looking back at Emma with a scornful look on her face. I waited until they were out of earshot before I finally confronted Emma.

"What is the real reason you want me to stay here, Em?" I asked. "These guys are all capable of defending themselves even without my help...and, well, I don't think they would actually want me to try anything after the whole fiasco we had yesterday. Or is that the reason why you want me to stay behind? Because I'm having trouble with my powers?"

"Partly, yes," Emma admitted. "Look, Daniel, these children don't know much of what's going on. They need someone, other than the leaders they have picked for themselves, to look after them. Besides, if something happens to us, then _you _can lead them to safety."

"If you think that there's a chance that something will happen to you, then it's all the more reason why I should come along. Hell, it's enough reason why you shouldn't even be going. I don't—I can't—have anything happen to you, especially if..."

She stopped me and said, "You know I have to go with them, Daniel." she gave a small smile, "I'm the only one who can completely sense whatever that thing is before it's too late. And, if you're thinking about creating a copy of me, like what you did with the others back at the slaver ship, then you have another thing coming. Just, this once, let _me _do something."

I stared at Emma, she stared back at me. I knew then that she wasn't going to budge. She was like Dana when it comes to that.

In the end, I conceded, "Fine. Just...be careful, okay?"

Emma nodded, "I will." After that, she went to make her own preparations.

Who would have thought that I, Daniel X, would end up on baby-sitting duty. I certainly didn't.

* * *

The afternoon sun was fading and, even though it had only been a few hours after Emma, Cleaver, and Leo left, I was already starting to worry. I couldn't help chuckling to myself as I began to notice how much of a worry-wart I had become. My dad would have probably given me a slap at the back of my head and told me to focus and let go of my worries. Once again, easier said than done.

Not really "allowed" to leave the premises (though, in truth, no one was actually going to stop me if I tried), I didn't have anywhere I could go or anything I could do to pass time. And so, I just hanged on top of our igloo, watching for any signs of trouble or of Emma and her group. There was none. Apart from the noise brought about by dozens of Lost Ones, there really wasn't any indication that something, or anything, could go wrong. Then again, I should know better, shouldn't I?

After a while, I grew bored at looking at nothing but contrasting colors and hues on the horizon, and so I just laid on my back and closed my eyes, hoping that lazily lying around would help ease my mind. It helped, but only a little. I was still doing just that when I heard a scrapping sound, seconds later, I found I was no longer alone up on my nook. Pole had climbed and joined me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. "Do you need something?"

Pole shook her head as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, her tail waved side-to-side. Thankfully, it didn't hit me.

"I just wanted to sit with you," she said in a meek voice, "You look like you needed some company, Daniel X."

I smiled at her thoughtfulness, "Please, just call me 'Daniel'. It's weirding me out how everybody calls me that. It's like I've done something wrong and am being chastised."

"Daniel?" She asked, like she wasn't sure I was really giving her permission to just call me by that name.

I nodded, "Or Danny, or Dan...just, drop the 'X', okay?"

She thought for a while before nodding, looking all-serious and saying, "Okay."

It made me laugh and she looked at me confused that I had to explain to her why I was laughing, "You're a lot more serious than I remember you being...at least, compared to how you were in that alternate timeline Dana and I had ended up in."

"What's it like?" She asked, when she turned her attention back on the scenery before us. "That other timeline you're speaking about?"

I thought for a while.

_How should I put it?_ I wondered. After all, I was still talking to a kid, even though this kid seemed more...uh, mature. Not that I actually know how old she really is.

I glanced at Pole as she patiently waited for my answer. After a while, I decided to tell her as little as I could.

"It's different," I began. "Very, _very_ different. Darker and more dangerous than now. In that place, there's no one left to fight against The Prayer and his followers. With what a...friend of mine...told me, there wasn't an ounce of happiness left in that place and if there were, it was only fleeting. Everyone lived lives filled with fear and uncertainty, their freedom gone. No one's even allowed to do anything fun or...creative."

"That seems like a boring place," she noted.

"It is," I agreed. "It's really boring and, well, a whole lot of other things, none of which are good. But, this planet, when Dana and I were here, it didn't look as though The Prayer's influence had reached here. Which would be a good thing if—" I shook my head. "Anyways, even in that alternate place, you were pretty close with Leo, even Razor."

"I was close with Razor?" Pole made a face. "That can't be right. Razor's mean and he likes to make fun of me just. He's a big, blue bully!"

"He's bullying you?" I asked, incredulous. "Huh...that's something I didn't expect. I mean if you and him looked more human than, uh, beastly, I would have thought you two were siblings with the way you acted around each other...at least, back in that place."

Pole shook her head, she really didn't like the idea and I wondered what could have changed to make those two close. Or, if the alternate universe really was so much different from the timeline I was in.

"Enough about Razor, tell me, what were you like there?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked a question of my own.

"Well, I just thought that since there was another me then there would be another version of you there, right?" When I nodded, Pole repeated her earlier question, "So, I asked, what's he like. Are you two the same?"

"Uh, that's, well, a bit complicated,"

"Complicated? Why?" _Boy, does she have a lot of questions..._

"Well, there used to be another version of myself there but he, sort of, got taken away and asked to take on a mission that is, well, really, _really_ complicated." I skirted around the answer.

"Taken away? You mean, like us being taken away by those people? Or, like, how mommy and daddy got taken away and...and..." her eyes began to water and I began to panic. I had no idea what I'm supposed to do if she suddenly burst out crying. Who knows what the other beastmen would think if she did cry. Maybe they'd think I did something.

"Uh, no. Nothing like that, Pole," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and trying to soothe her. "He just...sort of...disappeared. But, he did end up resurfacing. He couldn't have escaped if it weren't for the help of a dozen of brave, little, beastmen who helped free him when The Prayer caught him."

Pole's eyes widen. "Beastmen helped him?"

I nodded, glad that I managed to keep her from crying, which would have ended with me being mauled by her kin. "Not just any beastmen, though. Kids." I smiled. "You were one of them, you know. You and Leo, and even Razor."

She made another face at the mention of Razor. "What about Cleaver and Amber? Didn't they help out?"

I thought for a while. I wasn't sure if I saw Cleaver during our escape.

"I don't know about Cleaver, my mind's kind of fuzzy when it comes to him but Amber, well, she _definitely_ wasn't with the rescue party," I was accessing Khadagh's memories as I answered. "Amber placed me and Dana on jail, you know, when she didn't believe that I was Daniel X and that I time-travelled."

Pole laughed at that, "I could see Amber doing something like that. She doesn't trust anyone so easily." she sobered a bit then added, "She doesn't trust you or Emma yet, you know."

I nodded, "I kind of expected that. Not that I could blame her after all you and your people went through. It pays not to trust others so easily. You gotta remember that, kiddo."

She nodded, then gave me a toothy grin. "I know, but I can tell you and Emma aren't bad people."

"Oh?" I asked, surprised that she could easily say something like that. "How can you tell? I might just be playing along, acting like a good guy and Emma might be my accomplice."

Pole shook her head and had the look of conviction in her face, as if to say she wasn't wrong and she was sure of her judgment. It was something.

"Nuh-uh," she said, looking at me so intently that for a second, I couldn't believe she and the Pole I met on that alternate timeline were one and the same person. "I can see it. You're not a bad person. You have that warm glow around you. It's the same glow that mommy and daddy and Leo and Cleaver have. Amber's is muted, but it doesn't mean she's a bad person, it just means she's...um, difficult? Yeah, difficult!"

"O-kay?" I had no idea what she was saying, but she didn't seem to notice how confused she just made me so I just chucked that one up to strange ramblings by a five—or six—year old.

It wasn't long after that when Amber called Pole back down and glared at me, like it was my fault she was up there or that I had encouraged her to climb. I just let it go. I could agree with Pole that Amber was difficult.

With Pole gone and with nothing better to do, I decided to retire to my own room, hoping that Dana might contact me in my dreams.

* * *

Nothing came to me in my dreams, not even Dana dreamwalking. I wanted to bury my head and force myself to sleep thinking that maybe we were just missing each other because of the time-difference, but I knew better. Even if that was the case, I couldn't afford merely sleeping around when danger was just around the corner and with Emma, Leo, and Cleaver still out there. And so, I forced myself out of bed and out of the house.

As soon as I was out, I immediately went to find Amber, hoping that she had some form of news from her two fellow leaders and from Emma. When I saw her, I saw that she wasn't alone, Pole was with her...and so was Razor. I stopped for a moment and watched, true to what she said, Razor did seem to enjoy tormenting Pole even as Amber was trying her best to get him to stop. When I took another step, Pole seemed to have sensed me and she looked at my direction, her face brightening when she saw me and she cried, "Daniel!" before running towards me.

As soon as she was able, Pole jumped up and enveloped me into a hug, her arms around my neck. I was surprised, to say the least, but I wasn't the only one, Amber was too and she looked at me with her eyebrows raised like she was asking me how I could have that effect on Pole.

I shrugged, even I was confused. But, instead of talking about, well, whatever it was that had something to do with Pole, I asked, "Any news?"

To which Amber shook her head. She was still frowning, perplexed by Pole's action more than my question. As if the sudden hug I got from Pole wasn't enough, the gods of the universe decided to surprise me again when Amber decided to be civil in speaking with me.

"None whatsoever." she answered, "I can still smell them and know that they're okay but...I don't get it, why is your friend so adamant in proving that there's a dangerous creature lurking around?"

"It's not so much as proving it does exist more so than making sure nothing will harm your people...and ours, well, if they are still alive." I said, my voice faltering as I got to that last thought.

"You're not...sure?" Amber asked.

"After what happened to my powers before? When it just stopped working? Not really, but I am hoping that the whole universe will prove me wrong and that my fears are unfounded. I don't know what I will do if Dana...if my people are...gone."

Amber nodded, like she understood. And, I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw sympathy in her eyes. If it was there, it was only there for an instant because when I looked again, well, I couldn't find it. After that, I told her that I would look around the perimeter. Pole asked for permission to go with me, almost begging Amber to let her. Sighing, Amber gave in when Pole wouldn't quit. Amber then asked me, made me promise, that I wouldn't let anything happenn to Pole. I gave her my word. It seemed to be enough for her.

And so, with Pole in tow—well, actually, she rode on my shoulders—we walked around the settlements.

Of course, I shouldn't have known that Pole didn't just come along with me just so she could ride on my shoulders or because she enjoyed my amazing company. No, the real reasons why she wanted me to drag her along were to get away from Razor and, well, to ask me more questions.

"What's it like?" she asked. It wasn't much of a question but I didn't understand what the question was.

"What's what like?" I asked her, trying to get clarification.

"Being an Alien Hunter?"

"It's...okay, I guess." I told her. I wasn't sure why she was asking, but figured it was because she was just a curious, little girl. "I mean, I get to travel a lot, help others and all that. It's fun to some extent, but also very dangerous. Most of the time I have to be careful, when you're an Alien Hunter, you never know when someone would want to see you dead."

"Do you enjoy it?" was her next question.

"Being an Alien Hunter?" I thought for a while after she nodded before I gave her my answer, "I enjoy helping people and making sure their planet's safe. There's the adrenaline rush, too, that comes along when I'm fighting. Like I've said, it's fun to some extent."

She kept quite for a while as I made my rounds.

After a while, I decided to open up more to her and said, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"A secret?" That got her attention and it made her ears perk up and her tail wagging.

"Yeah, a secret. One that no one knows, not even Dana." I told her. I made a show of looking around and making sure that no one else could hear us before I whispered, as softly as I could, "If I could have a choice about it, I don't think I would mind _not_ being an Alien Hunter."

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed. "But, aren't you super-powerful and I heard Leo talking about how you're famous, too."

"Yeah, but it's a dangerous job and it asks you to give up too much," I shrugged, which made her yelp then giggle.

"Then what would you be if you're not an Alien Hunter?" she asked.

"Huh," I replied as I began to think about it, but my mind ended up drawing a blank and so I just told her, "I'll get back to you on that if I figure that one out."

"Okay," she nodded.

We rounded another bend before she asked me another question, "Hey, Daniel? You keep mentioning this Dana-person, who is she?"

I stopped, not sure if she was serious about the question. After all, didn't she saw Dana during the escape? Then again, I'm not sure anyone would have noticed who Dana was with their mind wrapped around only one thing: escape.

Pole craned her neck to look at me and asked, with a worried expression on her face, "Am I not allowed to ask that?"

"Ah, no, it's not that," I replied, giving her a reassuring smile, "I was just surprised that you didn't know her. You saw her while we were escaping the slaver's ship, you know."

"I did?"

I nodded, "She's the blond girl I was with, remember?"

Pole nodded once again before repeating her question, "So, what's she like? She's your mate, right?"

I almost tripped from her question and sucked air so much that it made me cough. "W-W-What? M-Mate?"

"Yeah, mate." Pole nodded, like it was normal to call anyone that...and I doubt she meant 'mate' as in 'a friend'. "Like how mommy is daddy's mate or Amber is Cleaver's mate."

"Amber is—?" I didn't think Amber would allow someone tie her down like that. I shook my head, that...really wasn't my business. "Well, um, Dana isn't exactly my, uh, mate. She's, uh, my girlfriend, which is a far-cry from being my mate since...well...uh..." I shook my head again, deciding to answer her other question instead. "She's the most amazing person I've ever met, and I have met a lot of people. She's got the biggest heart, but sometimes she forgets that and she thinks instead about all the wrong things she's done. She speaks her mind when she wants to, and she can be scary...especially when I end up forgetting about something or doing something wrong. I can tell you a lot about Dana but you'll probably get bored. But, yeah...Dana's pretty amazing."

"She's pretty, too." Pole noted and I agreed. "And, I can sense that she makes you really, _really_ happy."

"She does...that's why I—" I almost choked.

"I'm sure she's alright, Daniel."

I could only nod.

We ended our rounds soon after that. When I asked Amber if she had heard anything from Leo, Cleaver, or Emma, she gave me the same response she did before. And so, with nothing better to do, I decided to try my luck in trying to contact Dana and the others. I didn't know how I was supposed to contact them directly, after all, if the ship I created for them had disappeared as ours did when my powers faltered, then the connection with their radio would have been severed as well. So, I did the next, logical thing to do...even though it was pretty much a dangerous thing to do, I tried to contact the Varjians.

The conversation between them and myself wasn't a good one. They hadn't had any communication from the team they had sent to aid Dana and the others as well. They haven't had contact with my _drang_ as well and, like me, they were worried as well. All they knew was that The Prayer's forces had attacked and decimated Alpar Nok before they could flee the planet, whether they survived or not was up on the air.

So, at the end of that phone call, I just ended up feeling more worried and distraught than before.


	15. Wreck You!

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

It's been a while. A long, _long_ while. And I'm happy to be able to update this fanfic. A lot of things happened that kept me from doing so. Anyways, I still haven't read the book from which this title was pulled from (the original Daniel X: Armageddon). I had to decide between buying that _or_ buying Richealle Mead's "Indigo Spell". I went with Indigo Spell. Haha.

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Wreck You!**

* * *

The afternoon wore by and before I knew it, it was already nighttime. There still wasn't any word from Emma, Leo, and Cleaver which added itself to my list of worries. With all the stuff I had been thinking about and being worried about, it was such a wonder that I didn't end up aging so fast. I was pretty sure that I was about to keel over with worry and fear for the safety of my friends.

Having had a nice afternoon rest, I had so much pent-up energy that I found myself having difficulty sleeping that night. Hoping to tire myself out, I decided to give the compound one more sweep for the day. Everything was quiet, if there were any noises, they only came in murmurs as those who didn't have curfew—the beastmen children who were old enough to not need them—gathered in groups surrounding a campfire. Some of them waved or gave some form of acknowledgement to me which, of course, I returned.

The twin moons of the planet, which I guess we all have to decide to give names to, shone light on us. That, along with the campfires that were scattered throughout the camp gave me enough light that I didn't have to worry about losing my way back to my own igloo. It also saved me from tripping on protruding rocks and things that could have tripped me. With no other form of light to compete with it, thousands upon thousands of stars shone along with the twin moons on that cloudless night. The sight of the stars blinking overhead made me wish that Dana was there with me. I wished that she could see it.

_You will,_ a voice at the back of my mind told me, trying to bring me out of my pessimism. _Dana and the others will be here...soon...I hope._

Taking my eyes out of the beautiful night sky, I went on my way, making sure that no danger were present that could threaten the night and the beastmen children that were in my care. I noticed others who were patrolling as well. I nodded at them and they nodded back at me in greeting before I continued on.

After circling the entire camp, and finding everything in order, I was about to retire for the night when I felt a vibration in the ground. It was faint and it didn't last all that long, making me think that it might have just been my fatigue. But, when Amber peaked from behind her door with a frown on her face, I knew that wasn't the case and that I wasn't the only one who felt the earth tremble.

"What was that?" Amber asked me, looking at me like I was the cause of the earth shaking. "Earthquake?"

I shook my head, "No. It's not strong enough to be called an earthquake. Didn't think anyone else would feel it. I thought it was just me feeling tired."

She stepped out of the house, making sure to close it softly. _I guess Pole and Razor are asleep already._

Amber then walked towards me with that ever-present scowl on her face.

"What?" I asked, not sure what she was mad at this time.

"It seems you know nothing about us, the _Bestia_s, if you think we didn't feel that," She growled, "It was enough to wake me up. It's a good thing the children are already sleeping or they would have felt it too."

"Bestias?" I asked, not sure what she was talking about.

"Seriously, Daniel X?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Bestias—that's what our specie is called. Didn't you know that?"

"No, I didn't actually. We just call you beastmen or the Lost Ones, the List didn't mention anything about your race, so—"

She cut me off with a wave, "Well, there, now you know. Moving on. About that tremor?"

I shrugged, there was nothing I could tell her about that. It's not like I can pinpoint the exact location of the heart of a tectonic plate movement. I wasn't like Emma who can pinpoint something like that.

"Can't help you with that." I told her.

"Figures," she muttered. _This girl is really asking for a fight. _ "Your people aren't that in-tuned with nature, it seems."

"Emma's good with that. My specialty is...on something else." I let her know. "Don't tell me you know where the epicenter was."

"Actually, I do. Much like every single older Bestia around," Amber looked at me with a smug look on her face, like she just beat me at something. I wasn't actually competing with her on anything, though. "Do you think we should check it out?"

"It couldn't hurt," I replied. "I could do it on my own if you're worried about leaving the others defenseless. Just point me to the right direction and I'll check it out."

Amber shook her head and began walking, "No. It would be faster if I accompany you there. If I don't know any better I'd say we will find Cleaver and the others there. Who knows, maybe they are the cause of the tremor."

"Are you sure you want to leave the kids behind?" I asked, surprised that she would want to come along.

"The others will look after them while I'm gone." was all that she told me.

* * *

Amber and I walked in silence. She was the one leading the way, her ears perking up. We stopped several times as she felt the ground before moving forward again.

It seemed like hours before we passed the two, weirdly-shaped boulders that I had seen several days ago, after that, we started heading east, drawing closer to the cliff where the Lost Ones—the Beastias—had lived in the alternate universe. A nagging feeling started bubbling up within me. I had no idea what it was about, but I couldn't help but think that it was an important thought, if only I could grasp it.

But, I couldn't. And so, I just shook that feeling off and continued following Amber.

A couple of minutes later, the ground seemed to dip and then rise again, dip and rise, dip and rise, over and over again for a good span that it made me feel like we were walking on top of a giant railroad track. Looking at my feet, though, that wasn't the case, it was just dirt. So, I just kept on going along with Amber.

Just as we were getting over a large ditch, the ground trembled again. This time, it was longer and more powerful than before that I had to crouch to keep myself from toppling over. Amber didn't seem to have trouble with her balance, though. Her nose and her ears twitched, however, and I knew she had scored something.

"What is it?" I asked when the earthquake ended and I could stand on my own again.

"There's something here," she murmured as she unsheathed twin blades from her back. I was surprised because I didn't notice that she had weapons until the blades glinted in the moonlight. "And..."

Just then I heard voices—familiar ones. And before long I could see them: Emma, Leo and Cleaver. They seemed to have seen us as well since they were waving, frantically. I didn't know if I should wave back or not, but when I saw the dust chasing behind them, I knew they weren't saying 'Hi' to us, they were warning us, giving us a signal.

It took a while before I could hear what they were shouting, before the wind carried it to my ears.

It was just one word, but it was one that held so much urgency.

"Run!"

* * *

"What the hell was that?" I asked. My question wasn't really directed at anyone but, seeing as how Emma, Leo, and Cleaver had, apparently, been trying to deal with the monstrous creature, they would at least know something about it.

"I think it's a giant worm," Amber said, she didn't sound as out-of-breath as I was. "One with lots and lots of teeth."

"I could see that but," I turned to Emma, "why was it chasing you guys? What did you three _do_?"

"Nothing," Leo answered, "It attacked us first. It's the cause of the tremors and, according to Emma, that thing was what she sensed."

"We didn't really do 'nothing', Leo," Cleaver cleared up, correcting Leo's answer, "We wanted to drive it away, as far away from camp as possible, but we ended up making it angry."

"How could you forget that there's something like that here, Daniel?" Emma asked me. She, like her companions for the scouting mission, was disheveled. She didn't have any injuries, though, which was a good thing. "You'd think you wouldn't have forgotten to tell us that a monster worm lives around here."

"I didn't forget to mention anything," I defended myself. "When Dana and I were here, we didn't come across that thing." I didn't mention that Khadagh's memories failed to tell me of that particular danger. But then, I remembered the caves on the cliff's face that the Bestias in the alternate timeline used as their houses, "Well, now that makes sense..."

"What?" It was Amber who asked.

So, I told them, "When Dana and I arrived here, in the alternate timeline, you guys were living on houses built on the cliff. I was wondering why that was since you all don't seem like the choosy type when it comes to the place where you will live. Now, I guess, I know the reason why. Makes me think how lucky Dana and I were when we didn't end up being attacked by that thing."

I guess Amber was pretty pissed off at me because she didn't think twice before she punched me, on the gut. I almost doubled over. She was stronger than she looked.

"Wha—what the heck was that for?" I asked, coughing.

She glared at me, "You deserve more than that, Daniel X. You've placed us all in danger. We trusted you to know enough about this place to keep us all safe but, apparently, it seems that we have misplaced our trust."

"Now, Amber, you don't have to say that," Leo said, coming to my defense, "Daniel did warn us that this place is dangerous. Besides, we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves right now. If we don't do something, that monster might attack the camp."

"What do you suggest then, Leo?" Amber asked, spitting the words out. She didn't like Leo defending me, it seems.

"We take care of the monster," Leo said a-matter-of-factly. "I can only think of two possible reasons why Daniel didn't know about it. Either his sources have forgotten to tell him that about that monster, or that his source believed we could take it down. If it's the latter, that would explain why Daniel and his friend didn't know about the monster in that alternate timeline—because the monster was defeated, or it was driven back. As for why we would be living on the cliff's face in that alternate timeline, I could easily explain that as: us being careful of any more creatures like that."

_That did make sense._

"I guess we don't have a choice," Cleaver said, in that same bored-tone he always uses. "But, how are we supposed to drive it away or kill it? We've been trying to do just that for the past few days and we haven't found a way."

I was unsure of whether I should speak up or not. But, when the sound of the humongous monster trashing our surroundings grew louder and louder, I knew that I didn't have much of a choice. I would have to make a gamble.

"I may be able to do something about it," I said, tentatively. I looked at them before settling my eyes on Emma who seem to have caught on my idea even before I shared it with them. It wasn't hard for her to realize what I intend to do. I smiled, "I'm not sure if it would work or if I could pull it off right now, but...well, we'll never know until I try, right?"

"Daniel, are you sure?" she asked. "You could die."

I nodded. I knew that.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to sound braver and certain that I was really feeling. "It's going to be alright." _I hope_.

No one tried to stop me when Emma explained to them what I planned to do. She nailed it down, she knew what I would do even before I shared my actual plan with her. I almost laughed at how easy to read I was. Then again, she might have thought I would do that when she remembered how I dealt with Ergent Seth.

"Good luck," was the only words they gave me before I went on to challenge the giant worm-monster-thing and they went on back to camp and make sure that they would be ready there if my plan didn't work out.

As soon as I was alone, I made my way to where the worm-monster was, then hid behind a large-enough cavern. Once there, I took out The List and searched for any information regarding what I was facing. It took a while of searching before I found out what I was looking for.

The monster—er, creature—was called an _Oogirath_—SandWrecker—and it typically spans a hundred feet in the length and could grow as big as five to ten elephants stacked together. The List also said that Sand Wreckers seldom leave their pack and that you can find ten to fifteen of them in a single, dune-filled planet. Sand Wreckers, it also said, had a queen, who happens to be the only solitary member of their pack. Though solitary, the queen is often guarded by two to three Sand Wreckers that wouldn't think twice in attacking anything that breathes life who happens to step on their queen's lair. Apart from that, The List also said that, not only do Sand Wreckers have the sharpest teeth known to any specie, they could also spit poison from their mouths. To make matters worst, their hides were thicker than diamonds or any known alloy in the galaxy, making it impenetrable. Coupled with the fact that their organs excrete toxic and poisonous puss, it was virtually impossible to fight with it and hope to win.

Reading that last part about the poison shot my idea down faster than a speeding bullet.

"Now what?" I couldn't help muttering as I re-read the information provided by The List about the Sand Wrecker, thinking that I may have skimmed past anything that could tell me how to defeat it.

Despite re-reading the whole thing, I didn't find anything new. The List didn't provide me anything that could help me. So, I sat there, trying to come up with a way to defeat a creature that was poisonous and could eat me in one gulp without it even breaking a sweat.

I sighed. There really wasn't any other way around it.

And so, I stood up and concentrated as hard as I could as I envisioned the creature that I was going to morph myself into. Like before, it took a while before I could feel the changes in my body. My transformations to another creature, regardless of what the creature was, was always painless and I was thankful that that was the case.

I opened my eyes as the last vestige of the change took place and saw that my eyes could no longer support color. Everything around me was a haze of black and white. A smell permeated the air. The stench of which made me want to gag and made the part of my brain that was linked to the creature I had transformed into, ready for battle.

With my sudden blood-lust and desire for battle, I let out a screech that I was sure could be heard all over. My eyes searched around me as my wings began to beat and take me off the ground. I could smell that the Sand Wrecker was close and I knew that it also knew where I was. It could, after all, detect heat signatures and, with the way every part of my body was emitting heat and light, it would only be a matter of time before it finds me and attack. And I knew that it would find me and attack me, because the creature I had transformed myself into was the creature The List had said was this specie's nemesis—the Garuda.

As I was rising up in the air, I thought I saw a glimmer of...something, not far in the distance. But the glimmer was only for a moment as my eyes focused on the ground beneath me. Whatever the object that I had seen was, it didn't matter—not as much as the impending battle with the Sand Wrecker.

Just as I had that thought the Sand Wrecker did emerge, it's jaws wide open ready to swallow me up.

Despite being half the size of the Sand Wrecker, I was able to fly out of the way. As the Sand Wrecker chomps down nothing but air, I flew around it and readied my talons. With the same speed I used to evade the attack, I flew down and countered with one of my own, digging my talons into the eyes of the Sand Wrecker—the only vulnerable part in its body. It roared in anger and thrashed before burying itself down on the ground again.

Others might have seen that as a sign of it fleeing. But I knew better. It wasn't _that_ hurt by my attack. It would not be deterred by it, not when its eyes didn't really do much and when it depend more on detecting heat signature using the pores on its body rather than its eyesight.

The liquid that clung on my talons burned me, as well.

_Poison._ I remembered. I made a mental note to be careful as I allowed the fires of the Garuda's body—my current form—to burn the poison away with it's healing properties. Though it didn't take away the pain.

My eyes searched the ground as well as my ears listened intently for any signs of the Sand Wrecker. I could hear a hum not too far away, but knew that it wasn't a sound made by the Sand Wrecker and, therefore, not something I should be concerned with. I focused once more, searching for signs of the monster. It didn't take me that long to find it after that as it resurfaced once again, ready to try another attack. But, it was still too slow and I managed to avoid it's maws again.

While it was still on the surface, I flapped my wings harder, making me go twice much faster as I circled it, searching for any weak spot, a chink in it's armor. I couldn't find one. And, let me tell you, I tried. My talons couldn't do anything, not even scratch it. And, well, I wasn't about to try pecking the thing to death. It was, after all, poisonous.

Flying as far back as I could, I tried to come up with another plan. Apart from destroying its eyes, purifying the poison, and evading its attacks, there wasn't much else my Garuda form could do. I knew then that I had used up all the tricks the Garuda has and that I had to think of another way, another creature that could match with the monster.

My thoughts drifted on the possibility and the pros of turning into a Sand Wrecker myself, but I quickly dismissed the idea. The only attack a Sand Wrecker could do was bite, swallow, and chomp down it's opponent. I wasn't going to try and see if a Sand Wrecker could be poisoned by another Sand Wrecker. There was too much risk involved with that.

I guess I should have long learned my lesson of thinking too much in the heat of battle, because I made the stupidest mistake one could possibly make. I took my guard down and was taken by surprise when the Sand Wrecker suddenly jumped out of the ground and managed to wound one of my wings before burying itself back on the ground.

The pain was enough for me to lose my concentration and, with it, my transformation and I plummeted to the ground as I transformed back to myself.

I groaned as I pushed myself back up. Blood trickled down my shoulder which had a very large hole in it from one of the Sand Wrecker's fangs that managed to nick my wing. Despite the wound and the fact that I could feel the poison starting to course through my body, I was thankful that the Sand Wrecker didn't manage to rip my arm out. As it stood, I only hoped that my Alparian healing abilities would be enough to put the poison at bay until I could defeat the Sand Wrecker—that I had hoped was the queen—and return to Emma and the others.

I looked around, waiting for a vibration that would tell me the Sand Wrecker was going to resurface. I could feel something, but it was too far for it to be the Sand Wrecker that I was fighting against, and I grew worried.

_What if it's the other Sand Wreckers?_ I was already having problems with one of them, I didn't think I could handle if another one arrived to aid its comrade. _ I have to finish that other one soon._

As soon as I thought of that, the Sand Wrecker that I had been fighting with, emerged from the ground and began to come at me. I was powerless under the state that I was in, but I knew that I had to fight it, push it back, and—if possible—kill it. It was the only thing that I knew which would cause the other Sand Wreckers in the area to flee.

I sighed. Once again I was out of options and the only option I have, the only thing I could do, was the most dangerous and risky thing possible. But, I knew I had to take that risk. I knew it was the only thing I could win. And so, as it opened its jaws, revealing the sharpest set of teeth I have ever seen, I readied myself.

_Come on_. I taunted it in my mind. _Let's see how strong your innards are._

And I let myself be swallowed up, thinking that I could hold off the Sand Wrecker's toxins and that I could destroy it the same way I destroyed Ergent Seth.

Not having the same power as Dana and not being able to create a forcefield that could shield me from the disgusting insides of a giant creature, I had to be creative about how I could accomplish, basically, the same thing, at least, up until I could get far enough to destroy it. I did manage to do that, surprisingly, using a pod. But, even so, the poison was starting to mess with my system. I had to try really hard in order to just get to my destination.

My vision was already getting blurry and my mind was starting to lose track of whatever it was I was thinking. I knew I was running out of time and that it was one of those now-or-never things. And so, with one final push of my power, I forced myself to transform into a Garuda once again. That transformation, although taxing, did manage to purify a little bit of the poison. Just enough, though, to clear my mind and allow me to pierce through the Sand Wrecker.

Though it was a big risk, I couldn't believe when it did work and I found myself out of the Sand Wrecker's system and on top of it as it began to wreathe in agony. It gave another cry before it went down, this time, it couldn't get back up. I, however, only manage to flap my wings a couple of beats more before I finally used up all my energy and, for the second time that night, I plummeted to the ground.

I didn't—couldn't—get up after that as the poison began to do its thing. The last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness was the hum of...something in the air, growing louder and louder.


	16. Kirinalasca

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

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**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

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**Summary:**

The final battle has begun and it begun with the loss of a life. Daniel, with Khadagh's knowledge and power, and with the rest of the _drang _must do everything in their power to put an end to the number one alien on The List before everyone that they care about is lost and before The Prayer puts his evil schemes into action. The battle for the universe and between good and evil culminates as The Prayer finally figures out a way to defeat, and ultimately kill, our hero. The road is tough, but Daniel and his _drang _are ready.

* * *

**Daniel X: Armageddon**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**"Kirinalasca"**

* * *

I drifted in and out of consciousness. All I could see, when I opened my eyes were blurry images and lights. During those times that I knew I was conscious, however, I couldn't get a grasp of anything. I couldn't even tell if it was morning or night; if I was actually hearing people's voices or I was just being delusional and was just dreaming everything up. At one point, I even thought that I was already dead and that was what dead people felt.

I didn't know then how long I was in a limbo like that. Time was of no importance to me. At least, that was what I felt. But, when I finally did regain consciousness, I found myself lying half-naked, flat on my back, on a cold, metallic surface. The lights were so bright that all I could see was white and that I had to squint. I tried blocking the light with my hands, but my left arm couldn't move and I remembered the wound I had gotten from the Sand Wrecker's attack.

A groan escaped my lips that were dried up and reminded me that I was thirsty. I tried to push myself into a sitting position, but my body still felt heavy and I could only lift myself up a few inches before falling back down into the bed—if that was what it was—that I was lying in making my whole body ache once more and sending a pang of pain in my wounded shoulder, so much so that I hissed and cursed.

_Where...am I?_ I couldn't help but wonder as I tried my best to see beyond the haze of white. _What happened?_

I could remember bits and pieces of what happened after I was wounded by the Sand Wrecker but, for the most part, everything else was a giant blob of confusion for me. If I tried hard to remember, all I got were bits and pieces, flashes of recollection, most of which did not make any sense...much like how I could be someplace right at that moment that smelled sanitary and had a metallic, well, anything in it when the Beastias were all a bit prehistoric when it came to their things.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice I was no longer alone until a metallic tray clattered to the floor followed by an audible gasp.

I turned my head to where the sound came from and squinted. I really couldn't see anything and so I asked, with a hoarse and weak voice, "Who's...who's there?"

"Daniel," her voice was breathless but I knew that voice anywhere, before I could shake the surprise that I knew as in my face, Dana had tackled me into the tightest hug I had ever found myself in. And then she kissed me and then started crying, and I just sat there, uncertain about what was going on, but kissing her back nonetheless. "You're alright."

That snapped me. "I-I should be the one saying that. I thought...I thought I lost you, Dana. I thought the ship I gave you disappeared in space when I lost control of my powers. It was either that or that The Prayer got to you and—" I couldn't even finish whatever I was saying. Relief, happiness, contentment, all of that rushed to me even as I still felt sick.

She pushed herself away from me, though her hands remained on my chest, balled up. Tears were streaming in her eyes and she tried to wipe them with one of her hands and she tried to laugh her tears off.

"I guess we were lucky that you added the VI in the ship," Dana laughed. "It didn't just help us sneak past The Prayer's forces, it also helped us establish communication with S'Loni's fleet."

"The...VI?" I asked, I couldn't remember what she was talking about at first, my mind was, after all, still pretty muddled.

Dana frowned as she sat on the unoccupied space in the metal bed, sitting right next to me. "Don't you remember? The Virtual Intelligence on the ship you left dormant?"

I did remember, a bit, when I tried to remember. "I...remembered adding a fail-safe on the ship. Something that would operate if something happens, but...I can't remember what it was. Not right now."

Dana wiped the tears from her eyes again, "Joe is practically worshipping you because of that VI. Thanks to it, we managed to find S'Loni before the ship disappeared and before The Prayer could find us. Then we flew here as fast as we could. When we got here, Emma told us about the giant worm—the Sand Wrecker—you were fighting with. We tried to get there to help you fight it but, when we got there, you've already defeated it and you were covered with it's blood, wounded, and unconscious." she took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing, "S'Loni said that if we hadn't gotten to you in time, you would have died from the poison. I was so scared, Daniel."

She laid her head on my chest and, although I was still feeling weak, I tried to give her a one-armed-hug.

"So that gleaming object I saw, that was...S'Loni's fleet?"

Dana nodded on my chest.

"If-If what you said was true then how come I couldn't reach you? Even when I was asleep I hoped you would contact me with your dream-walking," I asked her. It was something that had bothered me and made me almost give them up for dead. "I thought...I really thought..."

"I know," she whispered before planting another kiss on my lips. "I was pretty sure Joe and Willy would have sedated me if they could with how I was acting. I did try contacting you, though...but, there was something keeping you out of my reach." she shook her head again, "I'm not sure what it was and we should probably look into it as soon as we can but, for now, you should rest. There's still a bit of poison left in your system."

* * *

I remained in that white room—which I was told was S'Loni's infirmary that she created in the planet—for a few days after that. S'Loni was pretty strict, giving orders to the doctor, which was another Azran who was a member of her crew, to not let anyone visit me until the toxins were purged from my body. Dana got a free pass, though. And so did Emma. Both of them, apparently, were helping the doctor—S'Veto.

Whenever they were around and whenever they could talk, both Dana and Emma would give me news of what was happening outside, including the fact that the Bestias had agreed on a name to call the planet.

"What is it?" I asked them, curious as to what the planet was named. During that time, I had managed to sit up without fear of puking or falling on my face. "What did they name this place?"

"The name's quite a mouthful," Dana told me, "It's Kirinalasca."

"Kirina-what-now?"

"Kirinalasca," Emma repeated. "It means 'Land of Sand and Lightning' in the Bestian tongue. You have to wonder why they would pick that, though. The sand-part I get but the lightning bit? Not so much."

"They must have their reasons for calling this place that, Emma," it was Dana who spoke. "Anyway, Daniel, there's something we have to talk about once you're completely better."

_Uh-oh._ Was my first thought. I was pretty sure that every single wrong thing I have done suddenly came crashing back to my memory.

I looked over at both Emma and Dana, hoping that either one of them would be able to give a hint as to what this could be about. But both of them had that guarded look on their faces.

"Uh, okay?" I replied, not sure what else to say. I forced myself not to ask if I was in any form of trouble with her.

I wasn't sure how long they had been in the room with me and I looked at the door, pretty certain that S'Veto would come in any minute then and drag them out of the room. Or, at least, I was hoping something like that would happen. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"So, what now?" I asked, just for us to have something to talk about that—hopefully—doesn't lead me into trouble.

"Now, you just rest," Dana replied, then she turned to Emma and said, "We should get going. Who knows what Willy and Joe have gotten themselves into this time."

"Yeah," Emma agreed and, after saying their goodbyes to me, they left.

Grumbling to myself at how Dana managed to instill worry in me, I had nothing better to do than to find some way to keep my mind busy with anything _but_ worrying. So, I decided to do a little bit of meditation, hoping and believing that it will help me get a focus on my power and, hopefully, won't cause it to go haywire again.

My meditation brought me to my mind's landscape and there a met with a...friend.

"Kirinalasca, huh?" Khadagh, or, at least, the remnants of him in my mind's landscape said in greeting, "That's...new. In my time, the Bestias didn't name the planet. Thing are...progressing differently in your time than in mine."

"I think that had been established a while ago, Khadagh," I replied with a sigh. "Not only are Dana, Emma, Willy and Joe with me and fighting alongside me in this war, but Emma and Joe are engaged, the Azrans are divided, I rescued the Bestias when I am younger than when you did, my powers are fluctuating, and, oh, let's not forget that I was almost killed by a huge, poisonous worm."

Khadagh waved his hand in dismissal, "Yeah, yeah...I should have warned you about discrepancies, blah, blah, blah. I get that and well, we can't really do anything about our lack of foresight then, what's important now is that we know. Besides, I never said that you should trust my memories completely."

I sighed as I slumped on the ground next to him, overlooking a large lake. It was such a wonder how much my 'inner world' had changed after Khadagh fused his mind with mine—the consequence of which is still lost to us.

"So, what's your plan now?" He asked me.

"Get better, I guess," I replied, stating the obvious. "I don't know how long before all of the poison I got is gone. After that? I don't know yet." I looked at him and added, "I'm open to suggestions."

"And I have a few, but most of them aren't a hundred-percent fool-proof and, with your powers acting up, I'm not sure if it's entirely safe either." There was a frown on Khadagh's face as he spoke, his arms crossed in front of him.

I couldn't help but growl in frustration as I ran a hand on my hair, messing it up—though, in reality, I couldn't really physically do that. "I have to figure out what's wrong with me, too."

"What's happening to you...it's not the same as what happened to me, you know, before I completely lost the ability to create copies of the _drang_...so, I'm not sure how to help you with that." Khadagh was speaking slowly that I knew he was thinking about something, trying to come up to something. I knew he had an idea up in his sleeve and so I waited for him to continue. "There...may be a someone who can help."

"Why do I have a feeling that there's a 'but' in that sentence?" I asked.

He grinned knowingly and said, "There is...and, well, that someone may or may not be where I remember meeting him and he may, or may not, be willing to help you out. Not only may he not be willing to help but he may also try to kill you."

"And why would he try to kill me?" I asked, "Is he someone I already crossed paths with?"

"Not...exactly," Khadagh said in that tentative way of his. "It was mom and dad who did."

* * *

Khadagh's words gave me more to think about, so much so that I forgot what Dana had told me—about needing to speak with me—until I had finally set foot outside the room I had been confined in and was ambushed by her. After reminding me that we had to talk in private, the two of walked in silence. Some of the Varjians, Azrans, Bestias and Alparians waved at me and Dana and congratulated me for my recovery, though none of them bothered me beyond those greetings. The way Dana walked in silence with a thoughtful look on her face was enough to make me brace for something, well, worse.

As we walked, I noticed how much things have changed in Kirinalasca. The houses I created with the use of my powers were gone and in their place were tepees and huts and pods, basically just every sort of living quarter you can think of to house the different races that would be living in the planet. The Bestias have also started building their houses on the cliff's face, following the example set about by their other selves in the alternate timeline. If the other races were worried about the appearance of Sand Worms, they didn't show it with how they built their own houses. I guess they could stand up to Sand Worms with whatever technology they have in their arsenal of weapons. I made a mental note to ask what their plans would be if another Sand Worm attacked, for future reference.

After a while of walking, Dana and I ended up so far away from the dwellings that I was certain whatever we were going to talk about, she didn't want anyone to overhear.

"Okay, now I'm pretty worried about what you want to talk about," I tried to make light of it, as I looked behind us and saw how far we had gone out of the way. "Did I do something, apart from almost getting all of us killed, that would make you angry with me?"

Dana looked at me like I just uttered something stupid, "What are you talking about?"

I waved my hand, making a motion as if to showcase everything around us, "I could only think of a dozen of reasons why you would drag me all the way here, and most of them aren't that good. And, the way you're keeping quiet, it's enough to make me worry, Dana. So, what is it? Am I in deep trouble? Should I start begging for your forgiveness and hope that whatever punishment you have in-store for me would be swift and painless?"

Dana cracked a little smile and, for a moment, I managed to breathe a sigh of relief. _ I wouldn't be in any imminent danger if she could smile like that at one of my lame attempts of trying to lighten the mood, right?_

"Well, that depends on what you're going to say," she said.

"What I'm going to say? About what?"

"Blaleen spoke with me before we left Alpar Nok," she began as she took a seat on a large, blue boulder sitting not too far from where we stood. I followed her and leaned on the boulder. I didn't want to sit down for fear that I may need to run as far away as I could to save myself from Dana's wrath...should, well, it come down to it. I mean, I only got out of a make-shift hospital, I didn't have any plans on going back in any time soon, if I could help it.

"Okay?" I wasn't sure where she was going with it. _Speaking with my grandmother can't be that bad, right? I mean, she had spoken with Blaleen before..._

"She, talked with me about...something," I figured just as much and I was going to tell her that that much was obvious until she turned to look at me so suddenly that I had to fight the urge to jump back in surprise. Then she asked, "Daniel, what—_exactly_—did you tell her about us?"

"What?" I was surprised with her question that I wasn't able to actually process what she had just asked me.

Though, annoyed, Dana repeated her question, almost hissing it, "What did you tell her about us?"

"Why are you—? I haven't said anything to her. I mean, apart from letting her know that we are, you know, together." I said. "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Wait, what did you and Blaleen talk about?"

"She asked me what _our _plans are," I could see Dana's face slowly turning a shade redder, "She outright asked me if we planned to have a u-union with each other."

It was my turn to blush furiously. How could Blaleen go ahead and ask her that? That was supposed to be something that l-lovers had to talk to themselves about, not something a family member should pry in. I inhaled too much and ended up coughing so much that Dana had to jump down from where she sat and rub my back to stop me from coughing.

"W-W-Why did she ask you that?" I asked, I was mortified by the thought that Blaleen discussed it with her.

"I should be the one asking you that!" she retorted, almost shouting at me that I suddenly realized that it was a good call, dragging us out of earshot from anyone who may find our discussion and our situation entertaining and funny. "She called me to her house and decided to corner me with that question. You have no idea how awkward that was."

"It wasn't my idea," I made sure to stress that. "How was I supposed to know that Blaleen would talk to you about _that_? I mean, even we haven't actually discussed—" I shook my head, "I'll go talk to Blaleen about that and ask her, as nicely as I can, not to mess with our affairs and—"

I was about to do just that—walk towards Blaleen's new hut—when Dana pulled me back, a horrified look on her face that made me confuse.

"Don't!" she said, holding on to my arm like her life depended on it.

"She needs to know that she can't just go on ahead and discuss something like that, especially when we haven't even had a chance to," I told Dana. "I may need to ask her permission but that doesn't mean she could—"

Once again, Dana cut me off, "And I am telling you not to."

She was so adamant that I was pretty sure our union wasn't the only thing Blaleen had spoke to her about.

"Alright, spill it," I said, "What else did she say?"

"Um, what makes you say that there's something else?" Dana asked back.

I raised an eyebrow at her. The way she averted her eyes was enough of an indication to tell me there was more to that "talk" than what she had just told me.

Seeing as I wouldn't back down, Dana sighed before she added, "Fine. You're right."

"And?"

"She basically told me that her permission won't be easy to get as we might hope or expect," was Dana's abridged version of said discussion. "And, um, she said something about making sure you have the best...even though it might not be me." My brows furrowed and I was about to say something, but she stopped me and added, "Well, she didn't actually _say _that last part but she made certain I understood that she meant that as well.

"Is she crazy?" I couldn't help but ask, incredulously. "How can she even think that there would be anyone more suited for me than you? She can't be serious."

"Well," Dana sighed, "She seems to be serious about it. And, I can't really blame her. I mean, you _are_ her grandson. The only family she has left. It's only natural that she would want the best for you."

"I get that. I know she's my grandmother and all, but this is something she has no right in meddling with." But, even as I said that—and even before Dana raised her eyebrow as if to ask if I was really serious about that statement, knowing full well what our traditions dictate—I knew that wasn't entirely true. As the only living family member I have left, she has a say on a lot of things. I sighed, "I'm still going to talk to her about it. She may be Blaleen but I won't let anyone, not even her, get in our way."

"I appreciate that, Daniel, but, if you do that, what would she think of me?" Dana's question came out as barely a whisper. "She'd think that I went and tattled to you about this. She may even think that, despite what I may have done or am doing in this war, that I would not be good enough for you because of that."

"Then...what do you want me to do?" I asked her. I hated having to stand down like that. "Why tell me when you don't want me to do anything about it?"

"I guess, I told you because I just wanted to know if you had anything to do with, you know, what Blaleen told me," Dana said sheepishly.

"What?" I couldn't believe it. "You're kidding, right? Why would I—? You know, never mind, let's just focus on what you intend to do if you don't want me to do anything."

Dana gave another audible sigh as she returned to the top of the boulder and sat down again, tucking her legs beneath her. "I don't really know. I guess I'll just have to prove Blaleen wrong, show her that she has nothing to worry about." She cocked her head to the side and looked at me, "There _is_ nothing to worry about though, right?"

I didn't answer as soon as she asked the question. I let her ponder at it for a while as I climbed the boulder and sat down next to her, all the while she looked at me in a way that made me see how much that one simple question weighed on her.

"You know, you don't have to ask me that question, Dana," I told her, meaning every word that came out of my mouth, "Sure you can be a bit bossy and can be quite a slave-driver at times," she punched me at the shoulder for that, "but, I don't really mind. That's what makes you, you. I don't really have much to promise you, what with all that's happening and with this war, but you can be sure that nothing is wrong with us. I would fight for you, you know. I'd tear down The Prayer's army on my own, if I have to."

"You don't have to do something as drastic as that," Dana laughed. Then she smiled at me and said, "But, thank you."

We stayed like that, on that boulder, for quite a while. Dana leaned on my shoulders shortly after that and we just enjoyed the peace while it lasted. We both knew that it won't be long until that peace is shattered, until we have to do our duties as Alien Hunters.

But, even as Dana seemed content at that moment, I knew she had a lot going on in her mind. I had quite a lot of thoughts of my own, unlike before, however, it didn't just revolve around Khadagh's words but also on the "problem" that Dana had presented. I wasn't sure what Blaleen was thinking just as I wasn't sure if Dana would be alright. I knew my grandmother can be a little bit...out of hand with the things she does. I just hoped that whatever Blaleen suddenly decides to throw at her, Dana would be able to hold her ground. If not, I would be willing to tear down the fabric of my people's traditions to be with her and I don't care what repercussions my actions would bring...not when it comes to her.


End file.
